The private sector contributed to this increase in the number of people using wireline service. Jio added 2.62 lakh new customers, Bharti Airtel 1.19 lakh, while Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Tata Teleservices added 4,202 and 3,769 new customers, respectively, during this period.
Reliance Jio beats BSNL in landline service
Private telecom company Reliance Jio became the country’s largest fixed line service provider in August, overtaking state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). For the first time after the introduction of telecom service in the country, a private company has secured the first position in the wireline category. According to the customer report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday, in August Reliance Jio The number of wireline subscribers of BSNL reached 73.52 lakhs, while the number of subscribers of BSNL stood at 71.32 lakhs.
BSNL has been providing wireline service in the country for the last 22 years, whereas Jio started its wireline service only three years ago. With this, the number of wireline subscribers in the country increased to 2.59 crore in August, from 2.56 crore in July. According to TRAI data, the private sector contributed to this increase in the number of people using wireline service. Jio added 2.62 lakh new customers, Bharti Airtel 1.19 lakh, while Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Tata Teleservices added 4,202 and 3,769 new customers, respectively, during this period.
BSNL customers continuously decreased
In contrast, state-owned telcos – BSNL and MTNL – lost 15,734 and 13,395 wireline subscribers, respectively, in the month of August. According to the report, the total number of telecom subscribers in the country increased marginally to 1175 million in August, with Jio adding most of the new subscribers. Also, rural areas grew at a higher rate than urban centres.
TRAI’s customer report for August 2022 said, “The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 117.36 crore at the end of July 2022 to 117.50 crore at the end of August 2022.” It has increased by 0.12 percent as compared to the previous month.
Highest losses to government companies
Apart from this, only Reliance Jio (32.81 lakh) and Bharti Airtel (3.26 lakh) added new mobile subscribers in August this year, while debt-ridden private company Vi lost 19.58 lakh mobile subscribers in this month. During this period, BSNL lost 5.67 lakh, MTNL 470 and Reliance Communications 32 customers.
With this, 5G mobile service has started in the country, in which some states have been included. Later 5G services will be increased across the country. This includes Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vi. All three companies will start their 5G service in different states in a phased manner. According to the companies’ claim, this service is currently being provided in 8 cities of the country.