Jio adds nearly 10 times more mobile subscribers than Airtel in September: TRAI data

New Delhi: Reliance Jio significantly outpaced Bharti Airtel in adding mobile subscribers in September, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of India's net growth in core wireless users, according to the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data and analyst reports.

India's core mobile subscriber base, excluding machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, increased by 2.2 million during the month to reach 1.15 billion. Jio contributed 1.9 million new subscribers, nearly ten times Airtel's addition of 0.2 million.

The figures underline Jio's continued dominance in India's telecom market, with the operator maintaining its lead over Airtel in both overall subscriber numbers and active users.

At the end of September, Jio's total wireless subscriber base stood at 511.14 million, compared with Airtel's 494.29 million.

Airtel, meanwhile, recorded its weakest monthly growth in core mobile subscribers in recent months. Analysts linked the slowdown to the company's decision to discontinue its affordable Rs 299 prepaid plan in August, a move that may have affected demand among price-sensitive customers.

Although Airtel reported gross wireless subscriber additions of 2.69 million in September, its core mobile subscriber base grew by just 0.2 million. The difference suggests that a substantial share of its additions came from M2M connections rather than regular mobile users.

The gap between the two telecom operators was also reflected in active subscriber numbers, a key indicator of network usage.

Industry-wide core visitor location register (VLR) subscribers increased by 0.6 million in September. However, Jio alone added 1.3 million active users, outperforming the overall industry growth.

Airtel, on the other hand, recorded a decline of 0.2 million active subscribers, while Vodafone Idea lost another 0.3 million during the month.

This made Jio the only major private telecom operator to register growth in its active subscriber base in September.

The latest numbers suggest that Jio continues to attract and retain mobile customers at a faster pace than its major competitors, strengthening its position in the country's highly competitive telecom sector.

For Airtel, the slowdown in core subscriber additions comes amid changes to its prepaid offerings. Analysts believe the withdrawal of the Rs 299 plan may have affected its ability to attract new customers and retain existing users in the affordable recharge segment.

Jio, meanwhile, accounted for approximately 86 per cent of the industry's net core mobile subscriber additions during the month, reinforcing its position as the largest contributor to India's wireless subscriber growth.

With a larger overall customer base, stronger net additions and rising active subscriber numbers, Jio widened its lead over Airtel in September, while its closest rival faces the challenge of reviving growth in the coming months.