Reliance Jio Adds 3.55 Million Mobile Subscribers in May, Airtel Loses 4.6 Million: TRAI

Reliance Jio was the only telecom operator that saw wireless subscriber additions in the month of May 2021.

Advertisement
By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 30 July 2021 15:22 IST
Highlights
  • Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost 4.28 million wireless subscribers in May
  • BSNL’s wireless subscriber market share stood at 9.89 percent
  • Jio rules broadband segment with a market share of 55.65 percent

Reliance Jio reached a total wireless subscriber base of 431.22 million by the end of May

Reliance Jio won big in the month of May with over 3 million wireless subscribers joining its network, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report. Other telecom operators including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and BSNL lost subscribers. Bharti Airtel lost the most number of subscribers, followed by Vi and BSNL. Reliance Jio's monthly growth rate was at 0.83 percent and it is worth noting that it was the only telecom operator that saw subscriber additions at a time of lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

TRAI's May report for the month of May 2021 reveals that Reliance Jio's wireless subscriber market share increased from 36.15 percent at the end of April to 36.64 percent at the end of May. Reliance Jio added 3.55 million subscribers reaching a total subscriber base of 431.22 million. Bharti Airtel, on the other hand, lost the most – 4.61 million subscribers – in the month of May. Its market share reduced from 29.83 percent at the end of April to 29.60 percent at the end of May.

Advertisement

Vi continued its losing streak with a loss of 4.28 million subscribers in May, reducing its market share from 23.83 percent to 23.59 percent. BSNL's wireless subscriber market share stood at 9.89 percent with a loss of 0.88 million subscribers.

Reliance Jio rules in the broadband segment as well with a market share (wired and wireless) of 55.65 percent. Most of the headway made by Jio is in the wireless broadband segment where it leads by a significant margin. In the wired broadband segment, BSNL is still at the top.

Advertisement

The top five wireless broadband service providers for the month of May 2021 were Reliance Jio with 431.23 million subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 189.49 million subscribers, Vi with 119.63 million subscribers, BSNL with 16.44 million subscribers, and Tikona with 0.32 million subscribers.

In the wired broadband segment, BSNL rules with 6.03 million subscribers and Bharti Airtel is second with 3.24 million subscribers. Reliance Jio with 3 million subscribers, Atria Convergence Technologies with 1.87 million subscribers, and Hathway with 1.07 million subscribers complete the top 5 list.


Is OnePlus cannibalising itself with the Nord 2 5G? We discussed this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Oppo A7 Pro Confirmed to Launch on This Date: See Features, Design
  2. Xiaomi Smart Band 11 Active With a 1.47-Inch Screen Debuts: See Price
  3. Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition Unveiled
  4. Xiaomi Power Bank 20000mAh 165W to Launch in India On This Day
  5. Pixel Watch 5 Stephen Curry Special Edition Now on Sale: Price, Features
  6. Lingverse iKairos Debuts as a Desktop Robot and Wearable AI Pendant
  7. Alienware 15 Arrives on Flipkart: Is This the Ultimate Mid-Range Gaming Powerhouse?
  8. Luna Band Goes on Sale Globally: Price in India, Features
  1. IFA 2026: Lenovo Unveiled New IdeaPad, Yoga and ThinkBook Laptops
  2. IFA 2026: Nvidia RTX Spark PCs, Local AI Tools Announced With October Launch Planned
  3. WhatsApp Reportedly Rolling Out Third-Party AI Agent Chats to Android Users
  4. Luna Band Now Available Globally: Check Price in India, Specifications and Features
  5. Pocket Bitcoin Data Breach Exposes Personal and Financial Information of 5,411 Customers
  6. Google Pixel Watch 5 Stephen Curry Special Edition Goes on Sale: Price, Features and More
  7. IFA 2026: Noise Master Buds Open With Sound by Bose Technology Unveiled
  8. Binance Warns of Phishing Scam Targeting Crypto Users With Fake Account Security Alerts
  9. Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, Find X10 India Launch Seems Imminent as Phones Appear on Certification Site
  10. Xiaomi Smart Band 11 Active Launched With Up to 21 Days of Battery Life; Smart Band 11 Price, Features Revealed
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.