The quantity of active subscribers grew by 38 lakh in Airtel and 7 lakh in Jio in September.
Bharti Airtel added more than double the quantity of subscribers that Reliance Jio added in the month of September 2020. Airtel added 38 lakh subscribers in September although RJio added 15 lakh subscribers in the month, mentioned a report by India Ratings. The quantity of active subscribers also grew by 38 lakh in Airtel and 7 lakh in Jio. However, the active subscribers in Vodafone-Idea plunged by 35 lakh in the month. Overall, the telecom sector saw an addition of 7 lakh subscribers in the month of September 2020.
The quantity of broadband subscribers also rose to 61.4 per cent of the general wireless subscriber base in September, compared from 60.4 per cent in August 2020, and 46.9 per cent in March 2019. The quantity of broadband subscribers grew by a robust 95 lakh, led mainly by the 70 lakh additions by Airtel and 17 lakh additions by Jio.
Indian telecom organizations moving towards greater ARPU regime
The report underlined that the subscriber development along with a rise in information tariffs reflect that the Indian telecom business is moving towards a greater ARPU (typical income per user) regime. Also, the tariff differentials for the pre-paid and post-paid tariff plans amongst the telecom organizations have been narrowing down more than the final year. India Ratings mentioned that the post-paid tariff plans announced by RJio 3 months ago and the current tariff hike by VIL for pick plans indicate the inclination of business players towards a greater ARPU regime in the extended run.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio nonetheless has the biggest income and subscriber market place share. It held 35.2 per cent subscriber market place in September and 38.2 per cent income in the fiscal’s second quarter. However, Airtel has shown resilience in the previous and is selecting up pace now. Its general wireless subscribers rose to 28.4 per cent in September from 28.1 per cent in August 2020. On the other hand, Vodafone-Idea continued to drop subscribers to 25.7 per cent in September from 26.1 per cent in August 2020.