As per the recent Performance Indicator Report (PIR) released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telecom industry recorded a sequential dip of 4.6 per cent in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) in the quarter ended (QE) September 2019.
On the operators’ front, Jio’s AGR stood at Rs 115.28 billion, witnessing a rise of 6.75 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis. In contrast, Airtel and Vodafone Idea reported a decline of 2.32 per cent and 6.86 per cent in their AGR, which stood at Rs 72.95 billion and Rs 62.60 billion, respectively.
Gross Revenue (GR) for the industry, which included revenue on account of interest, dividend and supplementary services before the October Supreme Court order, also declined by 2.15 per cent to Rs 599.92 billion during the QE September 2019.
Further, the report suggested that despite losing 11 million subscribers during the period, Vodafone Idea still managed to have the largest market share of 31.20 per cent among all telecom operators. Airtel and Jio had a market share of 29.79 per cent and 27.60 per cent with net additions of 5 million and 25 million subscribers, respectively.
India’s internet subscriber base registered a quarterly growth of 3.35 per cent to 687.62 million. Wireless mobile internet subscribers comprise 97 per cent of total internet users in the country.
Further, the monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) for telecom service providers declined from Rs 80.66 in QE June 2019 to Rs 78.17 in QE September 2019. Prepaid ARPU per month showed low growth from Rs 66 to Rs 67, while postpaid ARPU per month declined from Rs 253 to Rs 247.
