The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released the latest Telecom Subscription Data on Tuesday, revealing a continued downtrend for Vodafone Idea. The telco experienced a significant decline, losing 2,815,226 wireless subscribers in May 2023. This marks the 26th consecutive month of decline for the telco, which has been struggling to retain its subscriber base for years now.
The overall wireless subscriber base in India witnessed a marginal decrease 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 holds a subscriber base of 230,941,435.
Since April 2021, the company’s customer count has steadily declined, dropping from 281,902,977 to 230,941,435 in May 2023. This decline comes despite the company implementing various measures, including indirectly reducing tariffs by giving more benefits to attract and retain subscribers and, in some instances, bundling more freebies to retain users.
The rural wireless subscriber count for Vodafone Idea also declined, with a reduction of 1,498,866 rural subscribers compared to the previous month. As of May 2023, the telco’s rural subscriber count stands at 112,470,485.
Data released by TRAI highlights the five circles in which Vodafone Idea experienced the highest loss of wireless subscribers as of May 2023. These circles are Uttar Pradesh East, Maharashtra and Goa, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The circle-wise loss of subscribers is tabulated below.
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
Additionally, the overall peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) in May 2023 for Vodafone Idea stood at 88.88 percent, and the industry’s highest recorded figure is 100.09 percent.
With Vodafone Idea’s continuous subscriber losses, rival telecom operators are capitalising on expanding their market share with 5G and upgraded 4G network experience. Vodafone Idea has been unable to reverse the declining trend and attract new subscribers. The telco is currently facing ongoing challenges, and there is uncertainty about the sustainability of its business model and its future prospects.
The telco’s promoters have promised equity infusion into the company post-government conversion of equity, but nothing has materialised so far. For many years, the company has been making promises of investments, but there has been no sign of progress to date.
Earlier reports indicated a 5G launch in June, as also reported by TelecomTalk, but as of now, there is no concrete announcement regarding the 5G launch. According to recent reports, now Vodafone Idea is seeking more time from the Government to launch 5G, as reported by TelecomTalk. In January, the UK-India trade body sought to expedite the process of equity conversion, and now that it’s done, what’s next?
The telco is reducing the validity of its Rs 99 validity talktime plan in a few circles from 28 days to 15 days while still retaining the denomination available for customers to recharge. Since the time TelecomTalk started tracking the subscriber losing streak, nothing has helped the telco stop the subscriber loss. Despite every move, there has never been a month in which Vodafone Idea gained overall subscribers. Only time will tell what lies ahead for the telecom operator.
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