BSNL, the struggling state-owned telecom, added new subscribers in August for the second month in a row, even as tarriff hikes by private giants led to loss of users for Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
India lost 57.7 lakh mobile subscribers on a net basis last month, compared to 9.2 lakh lost in July, as per latest data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
BSNL added 25.3 lakh users in August. The company had gained 29.3 lakh subscribers in July.
The three private players, on the other hand, lost 83 lakh mobile subscribers on a net basis collectively.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. lost 40.2 lakh, followed by Bharti Airtel Ltd.'s 24.1 lakh and Vodafone Idea Ltd. seeing 18.7 lakh users leaving service.
These companies had lost 38.6 lakh users in July.
On Tuesday, BSNL ruled out an increase in telecom tariffs in the near future that private peers have indicated for themselves.
"We can clearly say we are not going to increase our tariffs in the near future," said Robert Ravi, chairman and managing director, PTI reported. "We don't see any need for tariff hikes in the near future," he said.
Ravi said BSNL has already started offering 4G services in test mode and is focusing on ensuring customer satisfaction. A full-fledged commercial launch is expected this calendar year, the report said.
BSNL's stance contrasts with larger private rival Airtel.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises Ltd., has advocated further tariff hikes to enhance India's digital infrastructure, emphasising the importance of investing in connectivity for citizens.
In June, Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea hiked their telecom charges for users by an average 12%. The companies say telecom rates in India need to go up in order to fund infrastructure upgrade and spectrum purchases.
Jefferies projects a 10% tariff hike each in the second quarters of fiscal 2026 and 2027.
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