According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the total subscriber base in the country declined by 0.70 per cent in September 2013, following large scale deactivation of inactive subscribers by leading service providers.
As per TRAI data, Reliance Communications (RCOM) deactivated as many as 10 million inactive subscribers. As a result, RCOM?s total subscriber base at the end of September 2013 declined by eight per cent and its total customer base stood at 116 million. The service provider lost its position in the market to Idea Cellular. In comparison, Idea Cellular added about 1.2 million new users in the month of September 2013. With a subscriber base of 127.2 million users and a market share of 14.6 per cent, the operator was ranked third in the market.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India continue to hold on to the top two positions in the telecom market with a subscriber base of 193.3 million and 155 million, respectively. At the end of September 2013, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India had a market share of 22.21 per cent and 17.87 per cent each.
