New Delhi: Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel gained wireless subscribers in March 2024, as per data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday. BSNL and Vodafone Idea (Vi), on the other hand, lost subscribers. India’s telecom subscriber base has now reached 1.199 billion, according to the TRAI.

The report noted that Airtel had gained wireless subscribers across all circles during the month, becoming the only telecom service to do so. Bharti Airtel added around 1.75 million wireless subscribers in March 2024, taking its subscriber base to 385.76 million. Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost 0.68 million wireless subscribers, reducing its subscriber base to 219.82 million. Similarly, BSNL/MTNL lost 2.36 million subscribers, bringing its total to 89.99 million. 

Reliance Jio also gained 2.14 million subscribers, reaching a total wireless subscriber base of 469.73 million. The company retains its position at the top. The Mukesh Ambani-fronted firm, however, lost subscribers in three circles: Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Goa, and Northeast.

Vodafone Idea lost subscribers in all circles except Bihar, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh East. BSNL/MTNL, the state-owned telecom companies, lost wireless subscribers across all circles except in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Bihar, and West Bengal.

Although the telecom in India, the world’s most populous nation, is growing at a tepid pace, competition among the telecom companies remains fierce, noted the report.

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