Vodafone Idea Continues To Bleed Subscribers Amid Mounting Debt
Vi lost 2.47 million subscribers in December, even as Jio and Airtel gained 1.70 million and 1.53 million, respectively.
Vodafone Idea Ltd. continues to lose subscribers by the hordes amid a crippling debt situation that has limited its ability to roll out 5G services anytime soon.
India's third-largest telecom operator lost 2.47 million subscribers in December, even as rivals Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. gained 1.70 million and 1.53 million, respectively, according to the data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. As on Dec. 31, Vodafone Idea had 241.32 million subscribers, out of which 86.85% or 209.58 million were active.
A total of 12.49 million wireless subscribers in India submitted requests for mobile number portability in December.
Vi had in its third-quarter earnings report claimed that it gained 1 million 4G subscribers in the October-December period. Its average revenue per revenue, or ARPU, rose to Rs 135 in the December quarter, from Rs 131 in the previous three months. The statement had no mention of the telecom company's plan to roll out 5G services.
The central government has handed Vi a lifeline of sorts to remain a going concern, in what is seen as a nudge to promoters Aditya Birla Group and the U.K.'s Vodafone Group Plc to come up with a fundraising plan.
TRAI Subscription Data For December 2022: Key Highlights
The total number of wireless subscribers in India fell 0.01% over the previous month to 1,142.9 million as on Dec. 31.
The number of mobile phone users in urban areas rose 0.06% to 627 million.
The number of mobile phone users in rural areas declined 0.10% to 515.9 million.
The wireless tele-density in India stood at 82.57%—57.46% in rural areas and 128.94% in urban areas.
Out of the total 1,142.9 million wireless subscribers, 1,020.9 million were active. At 364.98 million or 99.29% of overall, Airtel had the peak active subscriber base, followed by Reliance Jio with 92.10% or 390.97 million, Vi with 86.85% and BSNL with 51.29% or 54.74 million, the TRAI data showed.
With a user base of 7.65 million, Jio is the biggest wired broadband service provider, followed by Airtel (5.71 million), BSNL (4.11 million), ACT Fibernet (2.14 million) and Hathway Broadband (1.13 million).