The average revenue per user (ARPU) figure for the Indian telecom sector has gone up 2.76% up QoQ in the QE September 2023. The ARPU climbed from Rs 145.64 in the previous quarter to Rs 149.66. On YoY basis, the ARPU climbed 8.99% in the quarter. The data was published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its recent quarterly performance report.
According to the report, the prepaid ARPU per month increased from Rs 143.81 in QE June 2023 to Rs 148 in QE September 2023. The postpaid ARPU increased from Rs 166.22 in QE June 23 to Rs 167.93 in QE September 2023. The healthy increase of ARPU for the sector without indulging in a major tarff hike for a long time is a positive sign for the telecom companies and the investors.
The total internet subscribers in the country increased from 895.83 million at the end of June 2023 to 918.19 million at the end of September 2023, imputing a quarterly growth rate of 2.50%. Out of the total internet subscribers, wired internet subscribers were 37.11 million and wireless internet subscribers were 881.08 million.
Read More - Jio vs Airtel vs Vi: the Battle of ARPU and Who’s Winning
During the September quarter, which was Q2 for FY24, the ARPU for the private Indian telecom operators was:
Jio - Rs 181.7
Airtel - Rs 203
Vi - Rs 139
In the following quarter, the Q3 of FY24 for which the results were announced recently, the ARPU for the telecom operators was:
Jio - Rs 181.7
Airtel - Rs 208
Vi - Rs 145
This is decent growth for each of the telecom operators in the ARPU, except for Jio. We have talked about why Jio's focus is not much on the ARPU. You can read about it from the link below.
Read Here - Jio’s High Net Profits Enable it to Sustain at Lower ARPU
The total subscribers (wireless + wireline) stood at 1,181.13 million at the end of Q3 FY24, registering a growth of 0.62% QoQ. The market share of the private operators stood at 91.13% while for the PSU (public sector undertaking) operators including BSNL and MTNL stood at 8.87%.
