Reliance Jio added 2.01 million wireless customers in November, taking its gross mobile user base to 428.61 million, while Bharti Airtel’s rose by 1.31 million to 355.29 million, according to the latest subscriber data issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
Reliance Jio (Jio) and Bharti Airtel (Airtel) reported healthy growth in customer base acquisition in November 2021 whereas Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) has continued to report a loss in subscriber base, unable to offset the impact of sharp hikes in base prepaid tariff taken in late July last year.
According to TRAI, total wireless subscribers increased from 1,166.30 million at the end of October-21 to 1,167.50 million at the end of November-21, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.10%. Wireless subscription in urban areas increased from 637.44 million at the end of October-21 to 638.46 million at the end of November-21, and wireless subscription in rural areas also increased from 528.86 million to 529.04 million during the same period. Monthly growth rates of urban and rural wireless subscription were 0.16% and 0.03% respectively.
As reported by TRAI, By end of November 2021 i.e. 30th November 2021, the private access service providers held 90.03% market share of the wireless subscribers whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had a market share of only 9.97%.
Reliance Jio added 2.01 million wireless customers in November, taking its gross mobile user base to 428.61 million. Major addition of mobile telephone users recorded from Bihar and Jharkhand Circle by 0.44 million subscriber followed by Uttar Pradesh West by 0.35 million subscribers and Madhya Pradesh by 0.32 million subscribers. For Jio this is the second consecutive positive month after reporting a decline of 19 million customers in September.
Airtel too regained lost ground after reporting a loss of nearly half-million customers in October. Bharti Airtel’s rose by 1.31 million to 355.29 million in November 2021. The major contribution of subscribers recorded from Andhra Pradesh by 0.18 million, followed by Tamil Nadu by 0.18 million subscriber and Uttar Pradesh West by 0.13 million subscribers.
By contrast, Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost over 1.89 million customers in November, reducing its total mobile user base to 267.12 million, indicating the cash-strapped telco’s continuing inability to effectively combat its two financially-stronger rivals.
Except for Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi, Karnataka, Assam, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh (East), and Haryana, all other service areas showed growth in their wireless subscribers in November, TRAI said.
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