Vodafone Idea, BSNL Lose Ground In December As Jio, Airtel Add Subscribers

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. added mobile subscribers in December, while Vodafone Idea Ltd.'s. subscriber loss widened, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday.

Jio added a net 39.1 lakh mobile subscribers during the month, significantly higher than the 12.1 lakh subscribers it added in November. Airtel added 10.3 lakh subscribers in December, reversing the loss of 11.4 lakh users it had recorded in the previous month. VIL lost 17.2 lakh subscribers in December, compared to a loss of 15 lakh in November.

Overall, the total number of mobile subscribers in the country rose by 20.1 lakh in December, marking a recovery from the 17.7 lakh net loss seen in November.

Wireless Broadband Market Share

As of Dec. 31, 2024, Jio continued to lead the wireless broadband market, followed by Airtel, VIL, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. and Intech Online. 

Jio's subscriber base stood flat month-on-month at 46.51 crore, while Airtel also maintained its base at 28.08 crore. VIL's subscriber base rose slightly to 12.64 crore from 12.48 crore in November.

BSNL's subscriber base fell to 3.11 crore in December from 3.26 crore in November. Intech Online's subscriber base remained unchanged month-on-month at 2.5 lakh

Overall Subscriber Base and Market Share

The total wireless subscriber base in India increased to 115.06 crore at the end of December from 114.86 crore in November, reflecting a modest monthly growth rate of 0.17%.

Private access service providers, including Jio, Airtel and VIL, continued to dominate the market, accounting for 91.92% of total wireless subscribers. State-run operators BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. together held an 8.08% market share as of Dec. 31.