Jio Continues To Add Telecom Users, Vi Loses 2 Mn Customers In February 2023

Reliance Jio maintained its lead in the Indian telecom market in the month of February 2023 by adding over 1 Mn subscribers, as per the data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Jio’s success in attracting new telecom users further solidified its position, while Bharti Airtel secured the second spot with a gain of 0.98 Mn users during the same period.

Meanwhile, there was no end to the troubles of Vodafone Idea (Vi) as the telecom company lost a whopping 2 Mn subscribers during the month. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the state-owned operator, also encountered setbacks with a loss of 1.04 Mn users in February 2023.

Jio held a 37.41% share in the wireless subscriber market. It was followed by Airtel with a market share of 32.39%, while Vi was at the third position with a 20.84% share. BSNL held a 9.12% market share, while MTNL and Reliance Communications had market share of 0.24% and 0.0002%, respectively. 

As of February 28, 2023, Jio was the largest telecom operator in India, with a total of 427.18 Mn users. Airtel had 369.87 Mn subscribers, followed by Vodafone Idea with 237.96 Mn subscribers. BSNL was in fourth place with 104.19 Mn subscribers.

Overall, the total number of telephone subscribers experienced a marginal decline of 0.09%. The count decreased to 1,141.96 Mn at the end of February from 1,143.02 Mn in January 2023, representing a loss of over 1 Mn users in a month.

Meanwhile, Jio saw its net profit rise 15.6% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 4,984 Cr in the fourth quarter of FY23 as its average revenue per user (ARPU) reached INR 178.8 per user per month. At the same time, Airtel’s net profit reached INR 3,006 Cr in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, as its ARPU reached INR 193 per user per month, the best in the business.

Overall, India’s wireless teledensity saw a slight decrease to 84.40% in February 2023 from 84.52% in January 2023. Urban teledensity stood at 133.70%, while rural teledensity was recorded at 57.63%. Both urban and rural teledensity declined during February 2023.

Indian telecom users submitted 11.17 Mn requests for mobile number portability (MNP) in February, bringing the total number of MNP requests to 808 Mn as of February 28, 2023.

Meanwhile, the number of broadband users in the country increased to 839.33 Mn, recording a marginal rise of 0.02% from January 2023. This growth can be attributed to the surging popularity of mobile broadband.

Jio’s dominance continued in the broadband market as well, with it securing a market share of 51.85%. Airtel was at the second spot with a 28.56% market share, while Vi had a share of 14.74% as of February 28, 2023.

However, there was fierce competition in the wired sector, with Jio, BSNL, and Airtel securing a market share of 31.49%, 25.25%, and 25.03%, respectively.

Government-owned BSNL and MTNL together captured a 33.44% market share in this market, surpassing Jio in the process.