Compared to a dull October, Bharti Airtel had a very eventful and joyous November in 2021. The telco added 13,18,251 (1.31 million) new wireless users in November 2021, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data. At the same time, Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost 18,97,050 (1.89 million) users.
During the same period, Reliance Jio outperformed every telco in gaining new users by adding 20,19,362 (2.01 million) new users and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) lost 2,36,396 (0.23 million) and 4,318 (0.0043 million). Note that here we are talking about the wireless subscribers.
Bharti Airtel and Jio Had a Great Month in Wireline Subscriber Addition Too
According to TRAI data, Bharti Airtel added 1,30,902 new wireline subscribers during the month, while Jio added 2,07,114 new wireline subscribers at the same time. The growth for both the telcos in wireline subscribers signifies the rising demand for their fiber broadband business.
At the same time, Vodafone Idea (lost 38,083 users), BSNL (lost 77,434 users), and MTNL (lost 1828 users) witnessed a decline in wireline customers.
Bharti Airtel again had the highest percentage of VLR or active customers on its subscriber base. Reliance Jio seems to be making a good recovery in this area, with 83.90% of its subscribers being reported to be active during the month.
Jio Had the Largest Wireless Subscriber Market Share at the End of November 2021
Reliance Jio had the largest wireless subscriber market share at the end of November 2021. According to TRAI, Jio had 36.71% of the market, followed by Bharti Airtel with 30.43% of the market, Vodafone Idea with 22.88%, BSNL with 9.70%, and MTNL with 0.28%.
In the wireline segment, though, BSNL and MTNL, government-owned telecom companies, had the biggest piece of the market — holding 44.30% of the market share where BSNL held 32.48%, and MTNL held 11.82%. BSNL and MTNL are losing wireline subscribers for consecutive months now while Jio and Airtel are adding new ones. BSNL will have to push aggressively for growing the broadband business from hereon.
