BSNL gains momentum as Airtel, Jio, Vi lose over one crore subscribers in September

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) emerged as a surprising winner in September 2024, adding nearly 8.5 lakh wireless subscribers, while private telecom giants Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea collectively lost over one crore users, according to the latest data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, saw a steep decline, losing 79.69 lakh subscribers during the month, reducing its wireless subscriber base to 46.37 crore. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea followed suit, losing 14.34 lakh and 15.53 lakh users, respectively. Airtel’s user base now stands at 38.34 crore, while Vodafone Idea has 21.24 crore subscribers.

The drop in subscribers for private players comes in the wake of a significant tariff hike introduced in July, with rates increasing by 10-27%.

In stark contrast, BSNL added 8.49 lakh subscribers in September, pushing its wireless user base to 9.18 crore. The company’s Chairman and Managing Director, Robert Ravi, has firmly ruled out any near-term tariff hikes, a move that seems to have resonated with cost-conscious consumers.

BSNL has also rolled out initiatives such as spam blockers, automated SIM kiosks, and direct-to-device services to attract new subscribers and enhance user experience.

The total number of wireless subscribers in India dropped to 1,153.72 million in September, marking a monthly decline rate of 0.87%. Urban areas witnessed a 0.80% decline, while rural regions saw a steeper 0.95% dip in wireless subscriptions.

In the broadband segment, Reliance Jio maintained its dominance with 47.7 crore subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel (28.5 crore), Vodafone Idea (12.6 crore), and BSNL (3.7 crore). However, the overall broadband subscriber count fell from 949.21 million in August to 944.40 million in September, registering a 0.51% decline.