NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JULY 16
Despite second wave of COVID19 being on peak, services of Jio were in demand in April in Gujarat. By the end of April 30, 2021, the largest telecom operator of Gujarat, Jio added over 3.60 lakh mobile users in the state. The total number of subscribers of Jio increased from 2.61 crore in March to 2.65 crore in April in Gujarat.
The recent report of monthly mobile subscription by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for April reveals that total number of mobile phone users in Gujarat increased by 3.40 lakh to 6.97 crore from 6.94 crore in previous month, March 2021.
Thanks to Jio and Airtel, the net additions of mobile users remained positive in the Gujarat in April. Airtel added about 72,000 mobile users in Gujarat and increased its subscriber base to 1.21 crore in April against 1.20 crore in March.
Vodafone Idea, the second largest operator in the state witnessed loss of about 81,000 mobile users in April 2021. The total number of users decreased from 2.52 crore in March to 2.51 crore in April. The state-owned telecom operator, BSNL also witnessed marginal fall of about 10,000 users in month. The total number of mobile subscribers of BSNL in state fell from 59.06 lakh in March to 58.96 lakh in April.
In chart of customer market share, Jio tops with 38%, followed by Vodafone Idea with 36.09%, Airtel with 17.45% and BSNL with less than 9%.
The analysts believe that mobile subscriber additions muted in April due to second wave of COVID19 and lockdown across India. As per Trai report, Airtel added only 5 lakh subscribers in April, against 48 lakh net additions by larger rival Jio, while Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) shed 18 lakh subscribers during the period.
Jefferies’ report observed that the sector’s reported subscriber additions had “moderated” to 20 lakh due to lockdowns, a note by ICICI Securities said user addition had slowed on account of COVID second wave and lockdown. “Jio led the field with 48 lakh net adds due to JioPhone offer,” Jefferies’ report said.
