The number of telecom subscribers in India surpassed 1.2 billion in April, marking the second time the subscriber base has reached this milestone. The previous record was 1.21 billion in July 2017. Reliance Jio continues its growth in the wireless segment, adding 2.68 million new subscribers in April, bringing its total to 472.4 million.
Bharti Airtel’s Subscriber Growth
According to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Bharti Airtel gained around 752,000 new subscribers in April, bringing its total to approximately 267.5 million. Despite this growth, government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) lost more than 1.2 million subscribers in the same month. Vodafone Idea also saw a decrease of about 735,000 subscribers in April.
Wireline Segment Growth
In the wireline segment, the number of subscribers increased to about 34.2 million in April. Reliance Jio again led in acquiring new customers, adding around 360,000 subscribers.
BSNL’s Financial Performance
BSNL’s net loss for the last financial year decreased to ₹5,367 crore, down from ₹8,161 crore in the previous year. This reduction in loss is attributed to decreased expenses and increased non-operating income. BSNL’s revenue from operations marginally increased to ₹19,343.6 crore, although it fell short of the ₹20,000 crore target set by the central government. Revenue from cellular services and the enterprise segment declined, while expenses dropped by about 2.5 percent to ₹26,683 crore. However, employee costs rose by 4.4 percent to ₹8,034 crore.
Future Plans and Competition
Recently, BSNL issued a tender worth about ₹65,000 crore for the third phase of the BharatNet project. Facing tough competition from private telecom companies, BSNL is in the process of launching its 4G service. Meanwhile, major private telecom companies like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have already started their 5G networks across the country, contributing to their growing subscriber base.