Telecom Sector Ended 2021 on a Low as Jio Sinks and BSNL Rises

Yesterday, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released the Telecom Subscription Data report for December 2021. The last report of 2021 did not bode well for the telecom sector, as it lost 12.88 million users. During the last month of 2021, except Bharti Airtel, and surprisingly, BSNL, all of the telcos recorded reduced subscribers.

Telecom Sector Takes Another Dive in December 2021

The total wireless subscribers in the country stand at 1.15462 billion, down 1.10% from November 2021. Both the urban and the rural parts of the country lost subscribers, however, the rural areas accounted for 7.76 million of the 12.88 million wireless users lost. This suggests a deeper underlying issue within the rural telecom infrastructure of the country.

In terms of users gained and lost by telco, Reliance Jio again took a nosedive, recording a total of 12.9 million users lost. This is the second time Jio has taken such a beating during the year; one expects that the telco will pin that to some vague reason such as SIM consolidation. Along with Jio, Vodafone Idea was in the red, too. The third-largest telco in the country lost another 1.6 million users during December. MTNL and Reliance Communications joined Jio and Vi in the red, losing another 3,565 users and 800 users, respectively.

Interestingly, though, BSNL came out on top this month, as the largest gainer across the sector. The state-owned telco reported a net rise of 1.17 million users, which remains the most substantial jump. Throughout the telecom sector, Bharti Airtel was the only other telco to record an increase; the second-largest telco gained 475,081 users during the month, keeping the clock ticking.

The last month has altered the market shares for the telcos as well, though no one skipped no one else. Reliance Jio still leads the pack by far, with a 36% market share. Bharti Airtel has been closing in on Jio and has finally broken into the 30s, clocking in at a 30.81% market share. Vodafone Idea completes the podium with a 23% market share. BSNL still remains a bit away, claiming only a 9.9% market share. The final figures for the year are as follows:

1. Reliance Jio: 415.66 million users
2. Bharti Airtel: 355.74 million users
3. Vodafone Idea: 265.56 million users
4. BSNL: 114.31 million users
5. MTNL: 0.323 million users
6. Reliance Communications: 3,500 users