TRAI: Reliance Jio gained 3.9 million users in July while Vodafone lost ground

According to the most recent information from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Reliance Jio continued to improve its position in the Indian telecom industry by adding a record 3.9 million new users in July. This expansion mostly occurred at Vodafone Idea's (Vi) expense, since over the same period, its subscriber base shrank by 1.2 million.

According to TRAI data, 11.7 million subscribers have requested Mobile Number Portability (MNP), indicating a consistent trend of Vi users switching to other providers. Vi has lost a lot of customers during the previous 18 months, a trend that has recently picked up speed.

Jio, on the other hand, continuously reported strong subscriber growth, acquiring 2.2 million new users in June. In July, the company added more landline connections than the previous month's 9.95 million, passing the 10 million milestone. Currently, Jio provides service to one in three connections in India's 30.6 million-strong landline market.

The second-largest participant in the industry, Bharti Airtel, saw its customer base grow at a slower rate. From 1.4 million in June, the corporation increased its user base by 1.5 million in July.

Jio had a 38.6% market share of subscribers in July, while Airtel had a 32.7% share. Vi's market share fell to 19.9% in July, below the 20% threshold.

State-owned carriers MTNL and BSNL lost 33,623 and 1.4 million cellular subscribers, respectively.