Indian telecom giants Reliance Jio and Airtel have both seen a surge in subscribers during the month of August 2023, with Reliance Jio claiming the highest increase in users. At the same time, Vi experienced a decrease in subscribers. In August of 2023, Reliance Jio added the most new users, with an increase of 3.25 million subscribers. Airtel also experienced growth, adding 1.22 million subscribers. However, BSNL reported a decline of 2.23 million subscribers. The overall increase in subscribers for the industry as a whole was 2.19 million, a decrease from the 2.7 million new users added in July 2023. This brought the total subscriber base to 1,148.43 million, with the active subscriber base reaching 1043.38 million.
Reliance Jio continued to lead the industry, solidifying its position with a total subscriber increase from 442.49 million to 444.73 million users. Airtel also saw an increase, adding 1.22 million subscribers, bringing its total to 376.46 million users. Meanwhile, Vi reported a slight decline, losing 49,782 users.
Although there was an increase in total subscribers, the active subscriber base saw a decline of 3 million, the highest in nine months. Reliance Jio was the only operator who gained active subscribers, with an increase of 1.2 million. Airtel and Vi, on the other hand, lost 0.4 million and 2.9 million active subscribers, respectively. Vi’s loss of 2.9 million active subscribers was the largest in 16 months.
In addition, mobile number portability (MNP) requests reached a 29-month high, signifying increased competition between telcos. Analysts expect MNP requests to stay elevated, in part due to Vi users porting out to experience 5G on Airtel and Jio, as well as the increasing competition for 5G subscribers and Airtel’s rural expansion.