Bharti Airtel has retained its leading position with the highest percentage of active subscribers, according to the latest report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as of April 30, 2023 among Airtel, BSNL, Vi and Jio. Based on the Proportion of Visitor Location Register (VLR) on the date of Peak VLR in April 2023, the data highlights Airtel's strong presence among its subscribers in the telecom market.
Also Read: Bharti Airtel Continues to Expand Wireless Subscriber Base Across India
Visitor Location Register (VLR)
Visitor Location Register (VLR) is a temporary database of the subscribers who have roamed into the particular area, which it serves. Each base station in the network is served by exactly one VLR. Hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.
It reflects the number of active users on a telco's network, indicating the utilization and engagement of its subscriber base. A higher VLR percentage suggests that a telco's numbers are actively in use.
According to TRAI, the VLR subscriber data calculated is based on active subscribers in VLR on the date of Peak subscriber number in VLR of the particular month for which the data is being collected. This data is to be taken from the switches having the purge time of not more than 72 hours.
Airtel Leads With Highest VLR Percentage
Airtel remains the number one telco with the highest VLR in 18 of 22 circles and has just lost Assam to Jio with a 1 percent difference.
While Jio managed to secure the top spot in only three circles, namely Assam, Kolkata, and North East, the difference in VLR percentages between Jio and Airtel remains negligible.
On the other hand, Vodafone Idea managed to secure the top spot in just one circle, Himachal Pradesh, with a VLR percentage of 111.29. Airtel closely followed with a VLR percentage of 99.67, emphasizing its competitive position.
Also Read: Bharti Airtel Announces 2 Million Unique 5G Subscribers in Mumbai
Key Circles
Analyzing specific circles, Airtel maintained its leadership in VLR percentages in key circles such as Delhi and Mumbai. In Delhi, Airtel held the top position with a VLR percentage of 96.04, followed by Jio with 89.06 and Vodafone Idea with 62.89.
Similarly, in Mumbai, Airtel led with 87.52 percentage, followed by Jio with 83.29 and Vodafone Idea with 70.92.
Even in Gujarat, Airtel demonstrated its strength with the highest VLR percentage of 110.41, outperforming Vodafone Idea with 94.73 and Jio with 90.89.
Also Read: BSNL on the Verge of Dipping Below 100 Million Wireless Subscribers
BSNL and MTNL Performance
On the other hand, state-owned operators BSNL and MTNL struggled to keep up with their counterparts, recording the lowest VLR percentages in the industry.
Overall VLR Percentage
In terms of the overall VLR percentage across all circles, Airtel maintained its lead with an impressive 99.81. Jio followed behind with 93.99, while Vodafone Idea secured a percentage of 88.57. BSNL and MTNL occupied the lower end with VLR percentages of 51.73 and 27.52, respectively.
Overall, Bharti Airtel's continued dominance in terms of active subscribers highlights its strong customer engagement.
