NEW DELHI, JAN 3
Mukesh Ambani-driven Reliance Jio started Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC) 6 paisa per minute from October 2019. Despite these charges, the operator continued to add mobile subscribers in the Gujarat circle in the month. Telecom industry added 4.20 lakh users, while Jio added 4.23 lakh users in the circle.
As per the telecom subscription report for October, recently released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the total number of subscribers in Gujarat are set to touch the mark of 7 crore again, soon. By end of October 2019, Gujarat circle had total 6.91 crore users.
Of the total four telecom companies operating in Gujarat – Vodafone Idea, Jio, Airtel and BSNL – Only Vodafone Idea witnessed fall in the month in the circle. The other three operators posted positive growth.
Jio tops the chart in growth with 4.23 lakh users followed by BSNL which added 5,203 and Airtel added 2,934. Vodafone Idea continues to witness fall in mobile subscription in Gujarat. In October, the mobile users of Vodafone Idea shrink by over 11,205 numbers.
However, being largest telecom operator in Gujarat circle, Vodafone Idea tops the chart with 2.95 crore users followed by 2.25 crore users of Jio, 1.09 crore users of Airtel and 60 lakh users of BSNL, totaling to 6.91 crore total mobile users.
Nationally, Jio reported 91 lakh subscriber additions in the month — the third time it added over 90 lakh subscribers in a month. It had reported 93 lakh additions in January and 94 lakh in February. Rivals Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel reported subdued numbers with 189,901 and 81,974 additions, respectively in India.
The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,19.52 crore in September to 1,20.48 crore in October, showing a monthly growth rate of 0.80 per cent. Urban telephone subscription increased from 67.79 crore at the end of September to 68.16 crore at the end of October. Rural subscription increased from 51.72 crore to 52.31 crore during the same period. The monthly growth rates of urban and rural subscription were 0.55 per cent and 1.14 per cent, respectively, during October.
