BSNL Bucks Trend Amid Private Telcos' Subscriber Slump

In September, private telecom giants Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea collectively lost over one crore wireless subscribers. However, state-owned BSNL gained 8.5 lakh users, capitalizing on its strategic decision to avoid recent tariff hikes by its competitors.


Devdiscourse News Desk | New Delhi | Updated: 21-11-2024 18:01 IST | Created: 21-11-2024 18:01 IST
BSNL Bucks Trend Amid Private Telcos' Subscriber Slump
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In a surprising turn of events, state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) managed to buck the trend of subscriber losses that plagued private telecom giants in September, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea collectively suffered a loss of over one crore wireless consumers. Reliance Jio alone accounted for a drop of 79.69 lakh users. In stark contrast, BSNL added 8.49 lakh subscribers to its tally, pushing its total subscriber base to 9.18 crore.

BSNL's unexpected gains followed its strategic decision to avoid increasing mobile tariffs by 10-27% in July, a move undertaken by its larger rivals, as confirmed by its Chairman and Managing Director Robert Ravi. Meanwhile, efforts to expand its market share further involved launching new services such as spam blockers and direct-to-device offerings.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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