Reliance Jio Registers Slowest Subscriber Growth Ever in April: TRAI Data

Reliance Jio subscriber growth was the slowest in April despite leading the industry in rise in user base, shows data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). With 3.87 million new users in April over the preceding month, Reliance Jio recorded its slowest growth since it started operations in September last year. Interestingly, April was the month the company launched the Jio Summer Surprise and Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan Offer that made its services paid, putting an end to its free 4G, SMS, Jio apps subscription, etc.

Reliance Jio 4G and broadband subscribers

India had 1.198.89 million telecom subscribers in April, an increase of 4.31 million or 0.36 percent over the 1.194.89 million of the preceding month. Reliance Jio’s user base stood at 112.55 million in April, an increase of 3.87 million over March’s 108.68 million subscribers. This is the highest in the industry for any individual company, but the lowest for Jio.

The maximum increase in subscriber base Reliance Jio experienced since launch was in December, when its user base rose over 20 million. The company also cemented its position as the country’s biggest provider of broadband Internet as all 112.55 million users qualify as broadband users, putting it far ahead of Airtel’s 52.25 million.

Coming back to total subscriber growth in the month of April, Reliance Jio was followed by Bharti Airtel, which added 2.85 million new mobile subscribers. The next three places were occupied by BSNL with 0.81 million, Vodafone 0.75 million, and Idea 0.68 million new users. Tata Teleservices was biggest loser of mobile subscribers in April, shedding 1.46 million users in the month. Others who lost subscribers include Reliance Communications (1.32 million), Aircel (0.33 million), Sistema Shyam (0.27 million), and MTNL (2,137).

The number of wireline telecom subscribers in India decreased from 24.4 million in March to 24.296 million the following month, even as the number of wired broadband users increased marginally from 18.24 million to 18.25 million between March and April.

Written with agency inputs