As per the telecom subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India’s total subscriber base increased from 1,167.81 million at the end of August 2020 to 1,168.66 million at the end of September 2020, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.07 per cent. Further, subscriptions in urban areas increased from 642.79 million to 644.26 million during the period under consideration. The rural subscription decreased from 525.01 million to 524.39 million during the same period.
The overall teledensity in India decreased from 86.23 at the end of August 2020 to 86.22 at the end of September 2020. The urban teledensity increased from 138.17 at the end of August 2020 to 138.25 at the end of September 2020. Meanwhile, the rural teledensity decreased from 59.06 to 58.96 during the period.
Moreover, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 716.19 million at the end of August 2020 to 726.32 million at the end of September 2020, witnessing a monthly growth rate of 1.41 per cent.
Among operators, Bharti Airtel registered the maximum increase in wireless subscriber base during September 2020 and added around 3.77 million subscribers, taking its total subscriber base to 326.6 million. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea lost 4.65 million subscribers, and its subscriber base stood at 295.4 million, while Reliance Jio added 1.46 million subscribers and had a total wireless subscriber base of 404.1 million during September 2020. Meanwhile, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) added 78,252 subscribers, taking its total subscriber base to 118.8 million.
Consequently, Reliance Jio’s market share by subscribers reached 35.19 per cent, followed by Bharti Airtel at 28.44 per cent, and Vodafone Idea at 25.73 per cent, as of September 30, 2020.
