Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is losing ground in the fixed-broadband (FBB) market. Once termed as a king in the segment, BSNL is now behind Airtel and Jio in the space. The state-run telco's performance has been declining in the fixed-broadband segment, and most of the new fiber connections are being added by Jio and Airtel. Jio currently stands at the number one position in both the FBB and the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) segment. Airtel is at second, while BSNL has slipped to the third rank in the country.
The TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) performance indicator report for Q1 FY23 said that the wired internet of FBB subscribers rose by 1.5 million QoQ to 28.73 million. ICICI Securities said that the FBB subscriber base increased by 5.3% QoQ and 21.8% YoY. So how have each of the telcos performed in the quarter? Let's find out.
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BSNL Sees a Decline in FBB Market Share in Q1 FY23
ICICI Securities said that BSNL's FBB market share dipped 75 basis points QoQ to 13.4%. At the same time, Reliance Jio's FBB market share went up to 21.4%, while its FTTH market share was 29%. Airtel, in the second position, held a FBB market share of 16.9%, up by 260 basis points QoQ. Total FTTH subscribers during the quarter rose to 21.2 million, up by 11.8% QoQ and 111% YoY. DSL subscriber base continued to decline and stood at 2.8 million, down 9.7% QoQ and 55.8% YoY.
It is evident that the demand for FTTH connections is going up, while users don't want DSL connections anymore. This could be one of the reasons why BSNL is losing market share fast in the FBB segment. BSNL was the leading ISP in the FBB market until a few months ago. But most of the connections that BSNL provided to consumers across India were DSL connections which are not in much demand nowadays.
