All telcos, except Reliance Jio, lost users in April

The total wireless subscriber base declined to 1,149.52 million in April from 1,157.75 million in March.

The mobile subscriber data for the month of April (the month of lockdown), brings to light some interesting facts. Reliance Jio was the only mobile operator which added net subscribers, while UP (East) was the only telecom circle which saw net additions.

As per data shared by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Jio added 1.57 million net subscribers in the month, to increase its base to 389.09 million. In contrast, Bharti Airtel lost 5.26 million subscribers, followed by Vodafone Idea, which saw decline of 4.51 million users. BSNL also lost 20,053 subscribers during the month.
At the end of April, the mobile user base of Airtel stood at 322.54 million, followed by Vodafone Idea at 314.65 million. BSNL’s user base stood at 119.76 million. The total wireless subscriber base declined to 1,149.52 million in April from 1,157.75 million in March.

Also, this is the first time in many months that Bharti Airtel has lost 4G subscribers. The country’s second largest telco had 146.10 million 4G subscribers in March, which declined to 142.33 million in April. Similarly, Vodafone Idea’s 4G user base declined to 111.36 million in April from 117.43 million in March. One reason for the decline was lack of recharge facilities during lockdown. Although, Airtel and Vodafone Idea had increased validity of customers, but the extension was limited to low income or 2G customers.

The reason for 4G decline may be that many of the smartphone users were not able to recharge their phones, leading to disconnection.