Reliance Jio, which is the largest telecom operator in India, has experienced a staggering loss of over 1.6 crore subscribers in just four months. In October alone, the company saw a drop of about 37.6 lakh mobile subscribers.
This downward trend isn’t a one-time event; the figures show that Jio lost 79 lakh subscribers in September, 40 lakh in August, and more than 7.58 lakh in July. On the other hand, Airtel, Jio’s closest competitor, managed to gain nearly 24 lakh new subscribers in October after facing a loss of over 14.3 lakh in September. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea also struggled, losing more than 19 lakh subscribers in October.
Impact of Tariff Increases on Subscriber Numbers
The decline in subscriber numbers for these private telecom companies can largely be attributed to the tariff hikes implemented in mid-2024, which took effect in July. These price increases have clearly affected customer retention. In contrast, the state-owned telecom operator BSNL has seen a rise in its subscriber base, adding five lakh subscribers in October alone.
Over the past four months, BSNL has gained more than 68 lakh subscribers, indicating a growing preference for their services. As of October, Reliance Jio still leads the market with approximately 47.48 crore subscribers, while Airtel follows with 28.7 crore, Vodafone Idea has 12.5 crore, and BSNL stands at 3.6 crore.
Market Share and Overall Subscriber Trends
When looking at the overall market share, Reliance Jio holds the top position with a 39.99 percent share, followed by Airtel at 33.50 percent. Vodafone Idea and BSNL have market shares of 18.30 percent and 8.05 percent, respectively. By the end of October, the total number of wireless subscribers in India reached 115 crore, which reflects a slight decline of 0.29 percent from the previous month.
Interestingly, the number of wireline subscribers has seen a rise, increasing from 36 million at the end of September to 37 million by the end of October. Private telecom companies collectively held a substantial 91.78 percent share of the wireless subscriber market, while BSNL and MTNL accounted for a mere 8.22 percent.
