Jio Leads in August Subscriber Gains; BSNL Outpaces Airtel as Vi Slips Further
In a twist that underscores the volatility of India’s telecom landscape, Jio added the highest number of wireless subscribers in August—while BSNL, surprisingly, overtook Airtel for the second spot. Vi (Vodafone Idea), however, continued bleeding users. The Economic Times
The Numbers That Matter
- Jio added 1.95 million new wireless customers in August. The Economic Times
- BSNL wasn’t far behind, gaining 1.38 million, thereby surpassing Airtel, which recorded additions of 496,087. The Economic Times
- Meanwhile, Vi lost 308,984 subscribers in the same period. The Economic Times
By end-August, the total tally stood at:
| Operator | Wireless Subscribers |
|---|---|
| Jio | ~ 479.45 million The Economic Times |
| Airtel | ~ 391.97 million The Economic Times |
| Vi | ~ 203.55 million The Economic Times |
| BSNL | ~ 91.75 million The Economic Times |
BSNL’s resurgence is particularly notable, given its ongoing rollout of 4G services—analysts suggest this is helping stem outflows. The Economic Times
Other Trends & Insights
- Active (VLR) subscribers: During August, Jio added 2.3 million active users, while Airtel added 1.3 million. Vi’s losses in this segment moderated to ~0.1 million. The Economic Times
- Home broadband: Jio added 0.9 million broadband connections in August; Airtel added 0.3 million. With that, Jio now claims ~40% of market share (versus 32% a year ago), while Airtel holds ~21% (versus 19% YoY). The Economic Times
- M2M (Machine-to-Machine) segment: August saw 5.1 million new connections, with Airtel leading (~3.9 million), Jio ~0.9 million, and Vi ~0.2 million. The Economic Times
- Porting activity: The number of mobile number portability (MNP) requests in August exceeded 15 million, pointing to intense competition and churn at the subscriber level. The Economic Times
Interpretation & Strategic Implications
- Jio’s momentum isn’t waning: The company continues to capture fresh users across wireless and broadband.
- BSNL’s comeback is real: Its 4G rollout seems to be turning sentiment modestly in its favor, at least in terms of stopping customer losses.
- Airtel holding ground: Airtel’s subscriber addition dipped below BSNL’s in this month, but its base remains strong.
- Vi remains in crisis mode: The downward trend continues—unless there’s a strategic shift or capital infusion, its decline may deepen.
- High churn signals vulnerability: Over 15 million porting requests in one month is a red flag—consumers are actively switching.