Telecom service providers lost 8.2 million subscribers in April, reveals TRAI data

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected almost all industries and sectors worldwide, and India’s telecom sector is no exception. The latest subscription data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) reveals that the subscriber base fell by over 8.2 million users during the first month of the nationwide Coronavirus-triggered lockdown — April 2020.

According to the available data, telecom service providers witnessed a substantial exodus of users in their urban circles, while rural circles saw the count of subscribers rise marginally.  The subscriber report shows that among service providers, Bharti Airtel saw the largest decline in user base at 52 lakh while peer Vodafone Idea lost 45 lakh users.

On the other hand, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd was the only telecom service provider that saw a positive user base change, adding over 15 lakh new subscribers. However, this was one of its lowest monthly additions in 24 months. Now, the Mukesh Ambani-owned unit’s wireless market share is around 33.85 percent, while rivals Airtel and Vodafone Idea are trailing behind with 28.06 percent and 27.37 percent market share respectively.

The active number of users at their ‘home locations’ fell to 83.3 percent in April from 85.4 percent in March, regulatory data showed. It is pertinent to mention that the number of telephone subscribers in India in the month of April stood at 1,169.44 million.