TRAI Reflects on a Slow August for Telecom; Jio edges out Airtel Again

Per the TRAI Telecom Subscription Data, Reliance Jio has yet again scored the most users, as the sector recorded a slight fall of 0.11 million users over August.

Telecom Sector Slows Down in August - TRAI

Reliance Jio recorded a growth of almost 0.65 million subscribers; its rival Bharti Airtel was the only other telco to record a net positive growth with around 0.14 million users. On the other hand, Vodafone Idea recorded a fall of around 0.83 million. Even during a very slow month for the telecom sector, Vi managed to lose subscribers.

In terms of wireless access market share, Reliance Jio remained the leader at the top, with 37.40%. Airtel scored second place with 29.85% market share, while Vi made up 22.84% of the telecom market. All in all, private telcos made up more than 90% of the total wireless subscribers in the country.

In wireline though, the market looks pretty equal, with BSNL taking up the leader's spot, with 34.55% market share. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, MTNL and Tata Teleservices. However, the private sector still managed to edge out the public sector here as well; though the margins were close - 53.09% to 46.91% in favor of private sector. Jio, though, managed to gain the most wireline users, while BSNL and MTNL saw a reduction. This means that the gap is only going to widen over time.

Incidentally, the telecom sector has seen a similar sort of decline in May, when Airtel and Vi both registered staggering user losses. Back then, the telecom sector collectively lost over 6 million customers. August, though, has seen a milder version of the same.