Jio and Airtel increase user tally, while Vodafone Idea loses subscribers

Jio, the largest mobile operator in India, strengthened its position in the market by adding 7.2 lakh wireless subscribers in September, while Bharti Airtel saw a 4.12 lakh increase in the number of its mobile customers.

According to figures from the telecom regulator, the number of mobile subscribers in India decreased by 3.6 million in September, with Vodafone Idea experiencing a fall in subscribers despite larger rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel adding customers month over month.

Jio, the top mobile provider in India, strengthened its position in the market by acquiring 7.2 lakh wireless subscribers in September, while Bharti Airtel saw a 4.12 lakh increase in the number of its mobile customers.

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Notably, despite leading peers in September subscriber additions, Jio’s net adds fell short of the telco’s August subscriber gain of 32.81 lakh.

Ailing Vodafone Idea saw a decline in subscribers (by 40 lakh), and its subscriber base fell to 24.91 crore in September.

“Total wireless subscribers decreased from 1,149.11 million at the end of August-22, to 1,145.45 million at the end of September-22, thereby registering a monthly decline rate of 0.32 per cent,” Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said releasing subscription data for September.

At the end of September 2022, there were approximately 117.19 crore telephone subscribers in India (mobile and fixed-line combined), representing a monthly decline rate of 0.27 percent.

According to TRAI, the total number of broadband subscribers reached 81.6 crore by the end of September 2022, growing at a rate of 0.28 percent per month.

At the end of September 2022, the top five service providers controlled 98.36% of the market for broadband subscribers overall.

“These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm (426.80 million), Bharti Airtel (225.09 million), Vodafone Idea (123.20 million), BSNL (25.62 million) and Atria Convergence (2.14 million),” TRAI said.