The telecom operators in India registered an increase in the number of prepaid users during the quarter ended June, 2020, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) data reveals. According to the data released by Trai on Monday, the share of prepaid users increased to 95.48% in the quarter ended June as compared to 95.35% in the previous quarter. In the same period in the previous year, the Trai data highlights that the share of prepaid users in the country was at 95.65% translating to 0.18% year-over-year (YoY) decline.
Postpaid ARPU Declines to Rs 228: Trai Data
According to the Trai data for quarter ended June, the prepaid users accounted for 99.46% of the total subscribers in West Bengal with Himachal Pradesh and Bihar also recording high share of prepaid users. In Jammu and Kashmir circle, the share of prepaid users continued to remain low as compared to the rest of the telecom circles in the country. However, on a quarterly basis, the share of prepaid users in Jammu and Kashmir circle increased to 57.68% in the quarter ended June, 2020, as compared to 56.99% in the previous quarter.
The monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) for wireless services is said to have decreased to Rs 90.12 in the quarter ended June, 2020. In the previous quarter, the telecom operators is said to have registered an ARPU of Rs 91.49, translating to 1.50% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) decline. However, the Trai data highlights that the monthly ARPU for wireless services increased 21.30% YoY in the quarter ended June, 2020.
In the segment wise breakdown, the prepaid ARPU is said to have “remained same” at Rs 84 while the postpaid ARPU decreased to Rs 224 in the quarter ended June, 2020. It has to be noted that the postpaid services in the previous quarter registered an monthly ARPU of Rs 244.
Average Monthly Wireless Data Usage Per Subscriber Jumps to 12GB
The Trai data highlights that the Tamil Nadu circle including Chennai registered the highest monthly ARPU of Rs 110 in the quarter ended June, 2020, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Crucially, the monthly ARPU in the Kerala circle is said to have decreased from Rs 127 in the previous quarter to Rs 95 in the quarter ended June, 2020.
Further, the telecom operators in the metro areas including Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai registered an monthly ARPU of Rs 68, Rs 60 and Rs 83 respectively for the quarter ended June, 2020. In the previous quarter, the metro areas including Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi recorded monthly ARPU of Rs 76, Rs 86 and Rs 99 respectively.
The Trai data also highlights the total wireless data usage during the quarter ended June, 2020 increased to 25,369,679TB as compared to 22,854,131TB in the previous quarter. The users on the 4G networks are said to have contributed to 96.12% of the total wireless data usage in the quarter ended June. Further, the users on the 2G and 3G networks are said to have contributed 0.62% and 3.25% respectively of the total wireless data usage during the quarter ended June. The average monthly wireless data usage per subscriber during the quarter ended June is said to have hit 12.15GB as compared to 11GB in the previous quarter.
