The TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) recently released its subscription data for October 2024. This data shows a decline of 33 lakh active subscribers across the country. Including wireless and wireline, telephone subscriber count stood at 1,188.20 million until October 31, 2024, reflecting a 0.21% monthly decline rate.
In addition, India’s broadband sector witnessed a great decline, with subscriber count decreasing from 944.40 million in September 2024 to 941.47 million in October 2024, reflecting a 0.31% decline rate. Wired broadband subscribers rose from 43.63 million to 44.66 million in October 2024, an increase of 2.37%. Wireless subscriptions dropped to 1,150.42 million from 1,153.72 million in October 2024, registering a 0.29% decline.
TRAI data shows that Reliance’s Jio Infocomm Ltd., India’s biggest telecom operator, witnessed 1.65 crore subscribers leaving over the past four months, with 37.6 mobile subscribers exiting in October alone. Another telco company, Vodafone, lost 19.3 mobile subscribers in October and 15.5 lakh subscribers in September.Â
The decline in private telecom companies’ subscriber base was triggered by the tariff hikes announced in December 2019, Nov 2021, and July 2024.
While private telco players lost subscribers, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.) gained, adding 5 lakh subscribers in October. Over the past 4 months, this company has gained 68.1 lakh subscribers.Â
Overall, the past two months weren’t good for the Indian telecom sector. Teledensity fell from 84.69% in September to 84.46% in October 2024. Urban teledensity dropped to 131.31%, while rural teledensity dropped to 58.39%.
