Reliance Jio added a whopping 8.5 million new subscribers in July 2019, according to the data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Besides Reliance Jio, government-owned BSNL is the only telco to add new subscribers as other top telcos- Airtel and Vodafone Idea lost close to six million subscribers combinedly. The Trai data also reveals that Vodafone Idea Limited is still the leading telecom operator in the country with a market share of 32.53%. Reliance Jio is said to have a market share of 29.08%, more than that of Airtel's 28.12% share. At the end of July 2019, Jio officially confirmed a subscriber base number of 331.3 million, followed by Vodafone Idea whose subscriber base was reduced to 320 million at the end of July 2019. Going by the numbers revealed by the telecom operators, Reliance Jio should be the latest telco by subscriber base, however, the Trai data shows Vodafone Idea still has more market share.
Reliance Jio Added 8.5 Million New Users in July 2019
According to the Telecom Subscription Data as on July 31, 2019 press release by Trai, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has added a whopping 8.5 million news users on board. Jio already confirmed its subscriber base as 331.3 million at the end of July 2019. Reliance Jio's aggressive push towards JioPhone and JioPhone 2 is helping the telco add more users compared to incumbents like Airtel and Vodafone Idea. BSNL added a mere 290,639 subscribers in July, which took its overall market share to 9.98%. BSNL and MTNL combinedly have a market share of 10.27%, whereas private telcos have a share of 89.73%.
Bharti Airtel showed some positive signs in the final quarter of FY19, however, the telco is back to the losing ways again. In July 2019, Bharti Airtel lost 2.5 million and Vodafone Idea lost 3.3 million customers, further denting their subscriber base. Do make a note that Bharti Airtel even reports Tata Teleservices subscribers even though its merger was not approved by DoT as of now. Lastly, MTNL lost over 5,000 subscribers during the same month.
Reliance Jio's Next Target is to Reach 500 Million Subscriber Mark
While Reliance Jio wasn't able to make an instant mark in the wired broadband segment, the telco has managed to disrupt the Indian telecom sector with its affordable broadband plans. Jio's next goal is to reach 500 million subscriber mark and it could reach the goal by the end of 2020. We're expecting the company to continue its aggressive subscriber additions every month for the next few quarters, thanks to the affordable tariff plans and JioPhone strategy.
The most significant advantage for Reliance Jio right now is the JioPhone that was launched back in 2017. JioPhone allows users to make voice calls to any number without any FUP limit at just Rs 49 per month. And the feature phone comes bundled with JioTV, JioCinema, JioSaavn, Google Assistant and so on, thanks to KaiOS software.
Reliance JioPhone 2 is available for purchase only via online portals, but the original JioPhone can be picked up across all the Jio Digital Stores, Reliance Digital Stores and other retail stores. Additionally, Jio is setting up road-side outlets to boost the sales of JioPhone.
