According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telecom industry has reported 1.75 per cent sequential growth in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) to Rs 656.24 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of FY24.
As per the data, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio witnessed rapid uptake of 5G services during the same period, further accelerated by sporting events such as the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the June quarter, Airtel had the highest sequential AGR gain. Meanwhile, Jio and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) both reported on-quarter AGR gains.
TRAI further added that higher quarterly AGR translated into higher licence fee and spectrum usage charge (SUC) collections for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The licence fee mop-up climbed 1.69 per cent sequentially to Rs 52.46 billion while SUC collections rose 8.32 per cent on-quarter to Rs 8.18 billion. The sequential growth in SUC collections was sharper on a low base as Vi is believed to have cleared some past dues.
Overall sectoral minutes of consumption rose, with the all-India average minutes of usage (MoU) per subscriber per month from wireless services rose by 1.45 per cent sequentially to 960 in the quarter ended June 2023. Further, access services contributed 80.52 per cent of total telecom services AGR in the Q1 FY24.
TRAI’s report also indicated that monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) from wireless services rose 2.33 per cent on-quarter to Rs 145.64.
