BSNL adds more subscribers than Jio, Airtel in January: Trai data

After a long long time, troubled state owned teleco, BSNL, has added more wireline subscribers in a month than two of India’s largest telecos, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the teleco has added 3.68 lakh new subscribers in the relevant segment in January 2024. While, billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led, Reliance Jio could add only 2.41 lakh new subscribers in the same month. On the other hand, Sunil Mittal owned, Bharti Airtel, gained just over one lakh wireless subscribers in the month u nder consideration.

In last few months, BSNL, has only lost customers on monthly basis due to poor service offered to customers. Even, if in any of the past few months, the teleco added subscribers, it was lower than than that added by big two. But, in January 2024, against all odds, the troubled teleco added more customers to its kitty than the two juggernauts.

This has also helped BSNL up its market share in the wireless segment albeit, marginally. Due to continuous customer exodus in the past, the once upon a time telecom behemoth had seen its market share only decline. But wing to the January surprise, BSNL could retain 20 per cent market share in the relevant segment in the said month. Earlier, its market share had dipped below 20 per cent.

Another public sector telecom, MTNL, continued to lose customers. The state owned teleco lost more than 6,000 subscribers in January 2024. The bewildered public telecom had continued to lose subscribers in the past few months. Its wireline segment market share continued to reel under seven per cent in the industry.

Public telecoms market share up

BSNL’s surprise subscriber gain also resulted in marginal improvement in overall market share of public telecos in the wireline segment. In January 2024, state owned telecos’ total share of the telecom pie in the relevant segment marginally improved to more than 28 per cent. While, that of private players fell marginally to just under 71 per cent.

Individually, private telecom, Reliance Jio’s market share in the wireline segment remained steady at just above 34 per cent. While, that of Airtel dipped to below 26 per cent in January 2024. Another private telecom, Vodafone Idea’s share in the wireline segment continued to fall in January as well, its market share stood at just over two per cent as of January 31, 2024.

So far we talked only about wireline segment. But overall, if we consider both wireline and wireless segment, then, Jio and Airtel have continued to gain market share in the past, while, BSNL’s overall share continues to reel under three per cent as of January 31 2024.

In total, there were around 116 crore telephone subscribers in the country as of January 31, 2024. While, there were just over four crore wireline subscribers. This takes country’s total telephone subscriber count (wireless + wireline) to close to 120 crore.