Mobile broadband base dips after two years amid Reliance Jio user losses
Reliance Jio's heavy 4G and 5G user losses following recent tariff hikes triggered a sharp fall in India's mobile broadband user base in September — the first decline after two years of steady growth since the launch of 5G services in October 2022.
India's 4G-cum-5G user base plunged by a record 5.6 million in September, shrinking the nation's mobile broadband user base to 901 million, latest subscriber data collated by Trai showed. This user base had earlier risen from 790 million in October 2022 to around 906 million in August 2024.
According to Trai data, Jio lost 8 million 4G/5G users in September while Airtel and Vodafone Idea added 0.4 million mobile broadband users each. State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which did not raise prices, added 1.5 million such users.
«The sector's wireless broadband subscriber (4G/5G) base, led by Jio, fell sharply in September, suggesting higher price elasticity among its (read: Jio's) customers,» Jefferies said in a research note seen by ET.
In July, the three private carriers-Jio, Airtel and Vi-had raised headline rates by 11%-25%. Market leader Jio had taken the lead in a clear bid to shore up average revenue per user (ARPU) in the absence of monetisation of 5G services, especially as it has made huge investments in buying airwaves and rolling out a pan-India 5G network.
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