Reliance Jio and Airtel add subscribers as Vodafone Idea continues to bleed subscribers

• Reliance Jio and Airtel have reported an increase in subscribers in December 2022.
• Cash-strapped Vodafone Idea once again reported a decline in subscribers.
• There has been a significant increase in active subscribers of Airtel and Jio.

Reliance Jio and Airtel have once gained subscribers at the cost of cash-strapped Vi in December 2022. The troubled telco, which is the only private operator to not roll out 5G services in the country, lost 2.47 million subscribers in December 2022.

During the same period, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio gained 1.7 million subscribers, followed by Airtel, which gained 1.52 million subscribers. The total subscriber base also reported a decline of 1.12 million users, falling from 1.143 billion to 1.142 billion in December 2022.
Active subscribers receive a big boost
December 2022 has come as a boost to telcos as the active subscriber base has seen the highest net addition in the last 10 months. The three telcos reported a net addition of 8.6 million active subscribers.

While Jio led the charge in net subscriber addition, Airtel reported the highest increase of active subscribers at 5.98 million, followed by Jio at 2.97 million. Vi on the other hand lost 0.12 million active subscribers.

The active subscriber base has come from across areas, with A-circles and B-circles leading at 3.8 million and 2.9 million respectively. Metros have also reported an increase of 1.6 million active subscribers.

With this, Jio now has 391 million active subscribers, followed by Airtel’s 365 million active subscribers. Vi is again lagging with 209.6 million active subscribers.
Vi’s trouble continues as it loses 2.47 million subscribers
Vodafone Idea’s troubles have worsened and the telco reported a net loss of ₹7,990 crore in Q3. This was marginally higher than the loss of ₹7,596 crore the company reported in Q2.

After losing 2.47 million subscribers in December 2022, the telco’s total subscribers have declined to 241.32 million. As per TRAI, its gross subscriber base has declined from 265 million in January 2022 to 241.32 million in December 2022, which is a decline of 23.68 million subscribers during the period.
Jio continues to lead the sector
Reliance Jio has further strengthened its subscriber base, taking its total subscriber count to 424.52 million. The company’s gross subscribers increased from 406 million in January 2022 to 424.52 million in December 2022,

The telco had reported a ₹4,881 net profit in Q3, slightly up from ₹4,729 crore in the previous quarter.
Airtel continues its growth, active subscribers jump
December 2022 has turned out to be excellent for Airtel. The telco not only reported an increase of 1.52 million net subscribers, its active subscribers have jumped by nearly 6 million, the highest increase it has reported in the last two years.

The telco reported a Q3 net profit of ₹1,588 crore, which was significantly lower than expectations.

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