· Airtel is picking up pace again when it comes to adding new mobile subscribers, beating Reliance Jio by more than two times in September.
· While it is catching up in the wireless segment, Airtel has another headache in the wireline segment – Jio.
Bharti Airtel is going full throttle as it continues to speed up in its bid to catch up with Reliance Jio in the wireless segment.
According to according to latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Bharti Airtel added 3.8 million wireless subscribers, more than twice(154% more) of Reliance Jio’s 1.5 million in the month of September, On the other hand, Vodafone Idea continued to haemorrhage users. Vodafone Idea’s subscribers fell below 300 million for the first time since the merger of Vodafone and Idea. Vodafone Idea has lost 4.65 million users in September.
Airtel & Jio in wireless segment:-
Reportedly, Airtel could beat Reliance Jio in monthly user additions after 4 years. Reliance Jio had maintained leadership position in monthly mobile subscriber addition since the launch of its commercial operations in September 2016.
Reliance Jio’s total wireless (mobile) subscriber base now stands at 404.1 million, while that of Airtel and Vodafone Idea is at 326.6 million and 295.5 million.
While the total telecom subscriber base in the country increased marginally to 1,168.66 million in the reported month from 1,167.81 million in August.
Airtel’s total wireless (mobile) subscriber base now stands at 326.6 million, ahead of Vodafone Idea at 295.5 million and only behind of Reliance Jio’s at 404.1 million. Whereas the subscriber base of BSNL stands at 118.89 million, while that of MTNL is at 3.33 million.
Jio commands a 35.1 per cent market share, followed by Airtel at 28.4 per cent and Vodafone Idea at 25.7 per cent.
Airtel & Jio in wireline segment:-
While Bharti Airtel is returning to winning ways in the wireless segment, it now faces a known threat in the wireline segment – Reliance Jio.
Total broadband subscriber base grew 1.41% month-on-month reaching 726.3 million. Broadband market share of three top operators was Jio 55.9%, Airtel 22.9% and Vi 16.5%.
In the wireline segment, Jio was the top gainer with 303,205 additions, far higher than Airtel’s 66,335(less than five times that of Reliance Jio.) , due the expansion of its Jio Fiber service being the reason behind it. Thus, Jio’s wireline base with 2.1 million users has reached halfway to that of Airtel’s 4.4 million in the month of September. Whereas the public sector telcos BSNL and MTNL together lost over 2 lakh subscribers in the same period.
So, while Airtel leapfrog ahead of Reliance Jio in wireless segment, it should keep its guard on when Jio makes strides in the wireline segment.
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