- Jio captures nearly nine out of every 10 net additions as Airtel’s growth slows sharply
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, OCT 31
India’s telecom battle is increasingly about more than acquiring new connections: it is about winning regular mobile users. Reliance Jio added nearly 10 times as many core mobile subscribers as Bharti Airtel in September, capturing the lion’s share of the industry’s net additions even as Airtel’s growth slowed and its active subscriber base contracted, according to figures attributed to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The September numbers underscore Jio’s formidable position in India’s mobile market, raising fresh questions about Airtel’s customer-acquisition momentum, the appeal of affordable prepaid plans and the ability of telecom operators to convert connections into consistently active users.
Jio drives the lion’s share of subscriber growth
India’s core mobile subscriber base, excluding machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, increased by approximately 2.2 million month-on-month to 1.15 billion in September, according to the figures cited in analyst reports.
Jio accounted for 1.9 million of these additions, compared with Airtel’s 0.2 million. This put Jio’s monthly net additions at nearly 10 times Airtel’s.
At the end of September, Jio had 511.14 million core mobile subscribers, maintaining its lead over Airtel, which reported 494.29 million.
Jio’s performance also highlights the scale of its contribution to the industry’s expansion. Based on the reported figures, it accounted for approximately 86% of September’s net additions to the core mobile subscriber base.
Airtel’s growth loses steam
Airtel’s addition of just 0.2 million core mobile subscribers marked a sharp slowdown in its monthly expansion.
Analysts have linked the weakness partly to the discontinuation of its ₹299 prepaid plan in August, suggesting that the withdrawal may have affected its appeal among price-sensitive consumers. The precise contribution of this pricing decision, however, would require further evidence.
Airtel’s gross wireless subscriber additions stood at 2.69 million. The difference between gross additions and net growth in its core mobile base highlights why headline connection figures need to be examined alongside disconnections, M2M connections and changes in the regular mobile subscriber base.
For Airtel, the challenge is to restore momentum among core mobile users while sustaining revenue growth and customer retention in an intensely competitive market.
Active users strengthen Jio’s position
The active-subscriber numbers offer another important measure of competitive performance.
The industry’s core visitor location register (VLR)—a measure commonly used to assess active mobile subscribers—increased by approximately 0.6 million in September. Jio alone added 1.3 million active users, according to the figures cited.
Airtel, in contrast, recorded a decline of 0.2 million active subscribers, while Vodafone Idea lost 0.3 million.
These figures suggest that Jio’s strength extended beyond net additions to its subscriber base. Its growth in active users also points to increased customer activity on its network during the month.
However, a single month’s VLR movement should not be treated as conclusive proof of long-term customer loyalty or network superiority. Sustained trends in active users, churn, service quality and average revenue per user will provide a more complete picture.
The competitive challenge ahead
September’s numbers reinforce Jio’s position as the leading operator by core mobile subscriber base and the principal contributor to industry-wide net additions during the month.
For Airtel, the priority will be to arrest the slowdown in core-user growth and strengthen its appeal among consumers who remain sensitive to prepaid pricing. For Jio, the task is to convert its scale and subscriber momentum into sustained customer engagement, service quality and financial performance.
For India’s telecom sector, the larger takeaway is that subscriber growth must be assessed on multiple fronts. Total connections indicate market reach, net additions reveal competitive momentum, and active-user data provide a different perspective on actual network usage.
The next phase of the telecom race will depend not simply on who adds the most connections, but on who can attract, retain and serve active customers sustainably.