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The main reason behind the decline in subscribers is that Vodafone Idea is the only significant telecom provider in India that has not yet introduced 5G services.
The most recent telecom subscription data, which was made public by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday, showed that Vodafone Idea's subscriber base was still declining. In May 2023, the telecom lost 2,815,226 wireless subscribers, a huge reduction. For the telco, which has been battling to keep its customer base for years, this is the 26th month in a row that it has experienced a decline.
There was a slight decline in the number of wireless subscribers overall in India from 1,143,13 million at the end of April 2023 to 1,143,21 million at the end of May 2023. Within this, Vodafone Idea currently has 230,941,435 subscribers.
The number of customers for the corporation has been steadily decreasing from April 2021, falling from 281,902,977 to 230,941,435 in May 2023. This decline occurs despite the corporation taking a number of actions, such as indirectly lowering rates by providing more perks to entice and keep subscribers, as well as, in some cases, bundling more freebies to retain users.
Vodafone Idea's rural wireless subscriber count decreased as well, falling by 1,498,866 rural users from the previous month. The telco had 112,470,485 rural subscribers as of May 2023.
The five circles where Vodafone Idea lost the most wireless users as of May 2023 are highlighted by TRAI data. These circles include Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Goa, and Uttar Pradesh East. The following table shows the circle-wise loss in subscribers.
| Sl. No | Circle - Vi | Sub Loss in May | Vi May 2023 Wireless Sub base |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh & TS | -173,148 | 11,447,975 |
| 2 | Assam | -43,223 | 1,937,529 |
| 3 | Bihar | -148,633 | 8,133,798 |
| 4 | Delhi | -137,283 | 16,509,158 |
| 5 | Gujarat | -203,463 | 21,932,937 |
| 6 | Haryana | -45,590 | 7,254,897 |
| 7 | Himachal Pradesh | -15,369 | 442,699 |
| 8 | Jammu & Kashmir | -18,207 | 335,707 |
| 9 | Karnataka | -91,697 | 6,777,831 |
| 10 | Kerala | -109,609 | 14,245,870 |
| 11 | Kolkata | -100,154 | 5,686,855 |
| 12 | Madhya Pradesh | -67,828 | 16,943,923 |
| 13 | Maharashtra & Goa | -318,088 | 23,830,542 |
| 14 | Mumbai | -103,310 | 11,163,757 |
| 15 | North East | -11,502 | 917,433 |
| 16 | Odisha | -15,769 | 1,580,880 |
| 17 | Punjab | -146,058 | 6,957,971 |
| 18 | Rajasthan | -160,155 | 9,990,444 |
| 19 | Tamil Nadu | -116,808 | 16,340,816 |
| 20 | Uttar Pradesh East | -391,313 | 18,298,890 |
| 21 | Uttar Pradesh West | -154,826 | 16,182,069 |
| 22 | West Bengal | -243,193 | 14,029,454 |
| Total Subscriber Base | -2,815,226 | 230,941,435 |
The highest recorded percentage for the industry is 100.09 percent, while the total top Visitor Location Register (VLR) for Vodafone Idea in May 2023 was 88.88 percent.
Competing telecommunications companies are capitalising on growing their market share with 5G and improved 4G network experiences in response to Vodafone Idea's ongoing subscriber losses. Vodafone Idea has not been successful in halting the downward trend and gaining new customers.
The main reason behind the decline in subscribers is that Vodafone Idea is the only significant telecom provider in India that has not yet introduced 5G services. Telecom companies must commercially introduce 5G services in both metro and non-metro circles in accordance with government regulations. 36 test tower locations have been deployed by the business for its 5G experiments, which are now being conducted in Delhi and Pune. Once orders have been placed with equipment makers, commercial deployment will start.