The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently released the telecom subscription data as of September 30. So far, we have only discussed subscriber growth or decline and are yet to look into the numbers concerned with growth and Mobile Number Portability. In this analysis, let's look into the numbers and circles related to the same.
Dual SIM Usage:
The question in the future is not about dual sim usage but who will take the primary SIM slot in your device. The primary number is the one which will have voice and data usage, while a secondary number will be a supplement to those who can afford it with a least minimal plan. However, we shall discuss this in a different analysis. So, a dip in the subscriber base or a fall in the numbers should not be surprising with inevitable tariff revisions considering the economic headwinds.
Subscriber Growth or Decline
For September, as we have the numbers, let's see who lost subscribers and who gained in which circle. The numbers tabulated against respective circles will tell the story all.
Wireless Subscriber Numbers and MNP Requests: TRAI Sept Data
| Sl. No | Circle | Porting Requests (in Millions) | Airtel | BSNL/MTNL | Jio | Vodafone Idea | Subscribers | |
| Sep-22 | Sep-22 | Sep-22 | Sep-22 | Sep-22 | Subscriber Addition | Subscriber Loss | ||
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh & Telangana | 0.59 | 80,835 | -179,666 | -56,672 | -465,373 | 80,835 | -701,711 |
| 2 | Assam | 0.07 | 87,535 | 24,012 | 6,518 | -52,620 | 118,065 | -52,620 |
| 3 | Bihar | 0.76 | 212,602 | 22,179 | 379,644 | -155,440 | 614,425 | -155,440 |
| 4 | Delhi | 0.53 | 79,142 | -397 | 84,905 | 85,909 | 249,956 | -397 |
| 5 | Gujarat | 0.94 | -118,618 | -71,001 | 53,029 | -416,483 | 53,029 | -606,102 |
| 6 | Haryana | 0.33 | 32,809 | 90,964 | -25,883 | -42,253 | 123,773 | -68,136 |
| 7 | Himachal Pradesh | 0.05 | 17,289 | -44,710 | 43,570 | -6,795 | 60,859 | -51,505 |
| 8 | Jammu & Kashmir | 0.03 | 21,955 | -1,490 | 50,173 | -13,718 | 72,128 | -15,208 |
| 9 | Karnataka | 0.65 | 37,977 | -33,877 | 54,022 | 225,732 | 317,731 | -33,877 |
| 10 | Kerala | 0.2 | 13,313 | -69,389 | 72,221 | -88,086 | 85,534 | -157,475 |
| 11 | Kolkata | 0.15 | 4,405 | -12,369 | -16,016 | -31,782 | 4,405 | -60,167 |
| 12 | Madhya Pradesh | 1.05 | -2,084 | -48,635 | 106,678 | -847,549 | 106,678 | -898,268 |
| 13 | Maharashtra & Goa | 1.01 | 108,420 | -115,941 | 78,935 | -557,109 | 187,355 | -673,050 |
| 14 | Mumbai | 0.23 | 31,697 | -7093 | 10,740 | -92,314 | 42,437 | -99,407 |
| 15 | North East | 0.02 | 30,642 | -8671 | 32,235 | -13,695 | 62,877 | -22,366 |
| 16 | Odisha | 0.15 | 67,237 | 13,681 | -19,823 | -3,024 | 80,918 | -22,847 |
| 17 | Punjab | 0.32 | 26,379 | -21,925 | 35,398 | -570,410 | 61,777 | -592,335 |
| 18 | Rajasthan | 0.78 | -48,391 | -21,935 | 108,482 | -141,095 | 108,482 | -211,421 |
| 19 | Tamil Nadu | 0.48 | 78,155 | -10,259 | -145,431 | -110,273 | 78,155 | -265,963 |
| 20 | Uttar Pradesh East | 1.68 | -343,673 | -273,177 | 39,969 | -301,493 | 39,969 | -918,343 |
| 21 | Uttar Pradesh West | 1.26 | -66,439 | -26,209 | -42,428 | -225,234 | -360,310 | |
| 22 | West Bengal | 0.7 | 61,580 | 6,192 | -125,476 | -188,439 | 67,772 | -313,915 |
| Total | 11.98 | 412,767 | -782,226 | 724,790 | -4,011,544 | 2,617,160 | -6,280,863 | |
Airtel wireless subscribers:
Although Airtel gained 412,767 subscribers in total, the telco lost subscribers in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh East and Uttar Pradesh West. On the other hand, in the rest of the 17 circles, airtel witnessed subscriber additions, with Maharashtra & Goa topping the charts, followed by Assam.
Also Read: Airtel Is Witnessing a Steady Growth in Wireless and Wired Subscriber Base: TRAI Data
BSNL wireless subscribers:
BSNL lost 782,226 wireless subscribers in total. However, the public sector telco witnessed subscriber addition in Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha and West Bengal circles.
Jio wireless subscribers:
Jio witnessed the highest overall wireless subscriber addition of 724,790 in September. However, the telco lost subscribers in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Haryana, Kolkata, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh West and West Bengal circles.
Also Read: Vodafone Idea Lost Subscribers in All of its Circles Except Delhi and Karnataka: TRAI Data
Vodafone idea wireless subscribers:
Vodafone Idea witnessed subscriber addition in only two circles, Delhi and Karnataka, with a total wireless subscriber loss of 4,011,544 in September.
Overview of Subscriber Gain/Loss:
We can observe extreme cases and a mid-case with subscriber additions and losses. Vodafone Idea lost the highest number of wireless subscribers, followed by BSNL.
Mobile Number Portability Requests:
While TRAI publishes MNP data, we couldn't ascertain relations with the available numbers. Therefore, we cannot infer whether the MNP Requests materialised with just the data for the number of MNP Requests received. Also, the MNP requests are rounded off in millions, unlike the precisely reported subscriber numbers.
However, from the available data, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Goa, and Gujarat circles topped the highest number of MNP requests recorded, according to TRAI.
Also Check: You can check the past one year wireless subscriber statistics by clicking here.
Conclusion:
Airtel witnessed the highest subscriber loss in Uttar Pradesh East and Gujarat circles. On the other hand, Vodafone idea noticed the highest subscriber loss in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra & Goa and Andhra Pradesh & Telangana circles. Jio witnessed the highest subscriber loss in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. BSNL saw the highest subscriber loss in Uttar Pradesh East, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana and Maharashtra & Goa.
Uttar Pradesh West: Interestingly, none of the telcos gained subscribers in this circle.
These subscriber additions can be New Connections or MNP subscribers. Similarly, subscriber loss can be MNP subscribers or secondary numbers discarded or inactive connections recycled.
Note: Manual work is involved, and care is taken to avoid any errors. Please report in case of any corrections.
