Reliance Jio ahead of peers in subscriber additions shows May data

Subscriber data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for May indicates that all telecom operators lost subscribers in metros. As these markets have higher SIM penetration, this trend could indicate SIM consolidation amid rising tariffs in these markets, point out analysts at Jefferies India in a report on 19 July.  

Overall, Reliance Jio led the race with an active subscriber addition of 4.5 million in May. This was followed by Bharti Airtel Ltd which added 2.2 million subscribers. However, Vodafone Idea lost 2.3 million subscribers. As a result, Vodafone Idea’s active subscriber market share fell by 31 basis points (bps) sequentially to 21.6% while Jio and Airtel gained market share by 30bps and 8bps, respectively. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.  

The total active subscriber base for the telecom industry registered a sequential addition of 4 million subscribers in May after declining sharply in April.  

The same trend was seen in reported subscriber base numbers, which grew by 2.8 million sequentially in May to 1,146 million. This is the first instance of a notable subscriber rise after the flattish growth and fall seen in the past five months. Jio added 3.1 million subscribers followed by Bharti Airtel which added 1 million subscribers sequentially. Vodafone Idea lost 0.8 million subscribers.  

However, in terms of mobile broadband subscriber additions, all the three key telecom operators clocked growth. Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea added 3.1 million, 1.9 million and 1.2 million subscribers, respectively in May on a sequential basis.  

When adjusted for inactive subscribers, the mobile broadband market share for Airtel and Vodafone Idea was flat sequentially at 28.7% and 16.7%, respectively while Jio’s market share rose by 11 bps to 51.8%, according to analysts at ICICI Securities.  

“Jio’s active subscriber leadership and Bharti Airtel’s Arpu focus bode well for tariff outlook,” added the Jefferies report. Arpu is average revenue per user.