Reliance Jio continues to lead the telecom industry as its active subscribers increase by 4.9 million

• The telecom industry has reported a decline in total subscribers.
• Reliance Jio and Airtel have reported increasing subscribers while Vi continues to lose users.
• Jio is the only telco that has reported an increase in its active subscriber base.

The Indian telecom industry reported a decline in total subscribers for the second consecutive month in October 2022 as the cash-strapped Vi lost users while its rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel added 2.2 million subscribers. The total subscriber base has declined by 1.8 million to 1.14 billion during the period.

While both Jio and Airtel reported an increase in subscribers in October, only Jio has been able to increase its active subscriber base and continues to occupy the top spot in total and active subscribers, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data.

Jio’s active subscriber base stood at 391 million in October, while Airtel had 358 million active subscribers. Vi’s active subscribers stood at 212 million.

Vi continues to bleed subscribers

Cash-strapped Vi reported a net loss of ₹7,596 crores in Q2 and a loss of 3.5 million subscribers in October 2022, slightly down from the 4 million subscribers in September 2022. Since January 2022, Vi has reported a loss of nearly 20 million subscribers. As per TRAI, its gross subscriber base has declined from 265 million in January 2022 to 246 million in October 2022. In October 2021, the telco had 269 million gross subscribers.

Similarly, its active subscribers decreased by 0.5 million in October 2022. Since January 2022, the telco has lost over 17.8 million active subscribers, bringing down its active subscriber base from 229 million to 212 million subscribers.

Reliance Jio continues to lead the market

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio continues to lead the telecom market in India. The telco reported an increase of 1.4 million gross subscribers in October 2022, up from 0.7 million in September 2022. The company’s gross subscribers increased from 406 million in January 2022 to 421 million in October 2022.

Jio’s active subscribers have reported a huge increase of 4.9 million subscribers in October 2022 as the telco continues to roll out 5G services in the country. In September, the company reported an increase of 0.9 million active subscribers. Jio’s active subscribers increased from 369 million in January 2022 to 391 million in October 2022. The telco now commands 38.6% of active subscribers market share.

Airtel continues to grow but remains behind Jio

Sunil Mittal-led Airtel has also reported an increase in gross subscribers. The telco increased its gross subscribers by 0.8 million in October 2022, taking its subscriber base to 365 million. In January 2022, the telco had 356 million subscribers.

While Airtel’s gross subscribers have increased, the telco has reported a decrease in its active subscribers. The company lost 1 million active subscribers in October 2022. However, the company’s active subscriber base has increased from 350 million in January 2022 to 358 million in October 2022. The company now has an active subscriber market share of 35.3%, making it the second-largest telco in the country.

Reliance Jio and Airtel may soon announce a price hike

Reliance Jio, and Airtel are planning on increasing tariffs by up to 10% between January to March 2023, per a report.

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