Reliance Jio leads broadband services sector with 474.81 mn subscribers, reveals TRAI data

India's telecom sector showed a mixed performance in October 2024, with declines in wireless and broadband subscriptions, while wireline services and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connections recorded positive growth.

As per the data shared by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and Atria Convergence are amongst the top five service providers. Reliance Jio leads this list with 474.81 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 287.67 million subscribers.

Wireless subscriber decline continues...

The number of wireless subscribers in India decreased for the second consecutive month, dropping from 1,153.72 million in September 2024 to 1,150.42 million by the end of October 2024. This marks a 0.29 percent monthly decline in the wireless subscriber base, with both urban and rural segments witnessing losses. Urban wireless subscriptions fell from 628.12 million to 625.56 million, while rural subscriptions dipped slightly from 525.60 million to 524.86 million.

This decline resulted in a drop in wireless tele-density, which fell from 82.07 percent at the end of September to 81.77 percent in October. Both urban and rural tele-densities also saw marginal reductions during the month.

Despite these declines, the overall share of private operators in the wireless market remains dominant, holding 91.78 percent of the market. BSNL and MTNL, the public sector undertakings, continue to lose ground, collectively holding only 8.22 percent of the wireless market share.

Broadband subscriber too decline!

Broadband subscriptions also saw a slight decrease, with the total number of broadband subscribers declining from 944.40 million at the end of September 2024 to 941.47 million by the end of October 2024. This represents a 0.31 percent monthly decline, although the number of broadband operators grew marginally, from 1167 operators in September to 1175 operators in October.

Wireline continues to grow...

In contrast to the decline in wireless and broadband subscriptions, wireline services saw growth. The number of wireline subscribers rose from 36.93 million in September to 37.79 million in October, marking a net increase of 0.85 million and a growth rate of 2.31 percent. The wireline tele-density also grew slightly from 2.63 to 2.69 percent.

BSNL, MTNL, and APSFL, the three major public sector service providers in the wireline space, continue to hold a significant share of 23.29 percent of the market as of October 2024. Urban areas dominate the wireline market, accounting for 92.25 percent of the total wireline subscribers, with rural areas representing just 7.75 percent.

What's with M2M connections?

The number of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connections continued to increase in October 2024, rising from 54.64 million to 56.12 million. Bharti Airtel leads the M2M market with 29.08 million connections, holding a 51.82 percent market share, followed by Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio, and BSNL.

The implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has seen a steady rise in requests, with a total of 13.45 million requests recorded in October 2024. This brings the cumulative number of MNP requests since its implementation to 1052.56 million, an increase of 13.45 million compared to September 2024. The highest number of requests has been received from Zone-I (Northern and Western India), with Uttar Pradesh-East and Maharashtra leading the list.

As of October 2024, the total number of telephone subscribers in India (both wireless and wireline) decreased to 1,188.20 million, down from 1,190.66 million in September. This decrease was reflected in both urban and rural areas, with urban subscriptions falling to 660.42 million and rural subscriptions declining slightly to 527.79 million.

The overall tele-density in India also dropped slightly, from 84.69 percent in September to 84.46 percent in October. Urban tele-density stood at 131.31 percent, while rural tele-density decreased slightly to 58.39 percent.

While the October 2024 data shows challenges in the wireless and broadband sectors, the growth in wireline and M2M subscriptions suggests a shift towards more stable and long-term connectivity solutions. The continued rise in MNP requests underscores the increasing consumer mobility and preference for service provider flexibility.

The overall telecom market in India continues to be dominated by private operators, with 91.78 percent of the wireless subscriber base, while state-run BSNL and MTNL continue to face challenges in retaining market share.