Vodafone Idea Loses 40 Lakh Subscribers In September, Jio Adds 7.24 Lakh Users

Vodafone Idea’s downward spiral continued as the telecom operator lost more than 40 Lakh wireless users (40,11,544 to be precise) in September 2022, according to the monthly subscriber data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Meanwhile, Reliance Jio strengthened its position at the top, adding 7.24 Lakh new users during the month. Bharti Airtel saw its total user base grow by 4.12 Lakh during the month.

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited saw the exodus of more than 7.82 Lakh subscribers, while another government entity Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited lost 7,490 subscribers during the course of the month. 

Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi saw the biggest jump in the number of wireless subscribers in September. 

In contrast with the previous month, a bigger portion of growth for both Jio and Airtel came from urban areas. Of the total subscriber additions by Jio, the rural belt accounted for just 2.88 Lakh connections, while the rest came from cities and towns. 

On the other hand, Airtel lost more than 7.22 Lakh rural subscribers during the month, which was offset by strong growth numbers from the urban belt. 

Continuing its lead, Jio accounted for 36.66% of the total market share in September 2022, while Airtel came second with a market share of 31.8%. Vodafone Idea came third, accounting for a 21.75% market share during the month under review.

The total wireless tele-density grew to 82.94% in September from 83.27% at the end of August. While urban wireless tele-density stood at 129.56%, rural wireless tele-density was at 57.79%. 

The overall tele-density in the country fell to 84.86% in September from 85.15% in August. 

Total wireline customers also grew 1.92% month-on-month (MoM) to 2.64 Crin September. Jio took the pole position in the wireline market, accounting for 28.91% of the total market share, followed by BSNL with 26.82% of the market share and Airtel with 24.19%. 

The telecom operators received a total of 1.19 Cr mobile number portability (MNP) requests in September 2022. 

Telcos Amidst An Overhaul

This comes at a time when the telecom industry is undergoing a massive change from regulation to upgradation of telecom networks. As part of this, the government released the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022 last month. 

The Bill seeks to replace three laws – the 100-year-old Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950. 

The aftermath has seen telcos bat for bringing over-the-top (OTT) communication apps under the ambit of telecommunication services and imposition of same regulatory and spectrum norms for such apps. 

Telecom regulator TRAI is also reportedly close to publishing a consultation paper to create a regulatory framework for OTT apps.

Meanwhile, TRAI is also set to roll out its mobile phone caller identification system within the next few weeks. This is expected to render the very model of Sweden-based Truecaller redundant in the country.

Amidst all this, Airtel has reportedly hiked the price of many of its monthly mobile recharge plans by as much as 57% in some circles as part of a pilot. The telco also plans to scale the tariff hike across the country. 

In October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched 5G services amid much fanfare. This has led to major players such as Jio and Airtel beginning to roll out the next-generation services across the country.