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Tag: Vodafone Idea

  • ACT enters TRAI’s top 5 broadband players list

    ACT enters TRAI’s top 5 broadband players list

    BENGALURU: South Indian wired broadband internet services provider Atria Convergence Technologies Limited was among Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) list of top 5 broadband internet services providers in the month ended 31 July 2019 (Jul-19, month or period under consideration). ACT added approximately 20,000 subscribers during the month under consideration to reach a subscriber base of 0.147 crore (14.7 million, 1.47 million). Also, You Broadband with 0.075 crore (7.5 lakh, 0.75 million) wired broadband subscribers,
    re-entered TRAI’s list of top 5 wired broadband internet players with the exit of the public sector MTNL from that list

    Overall Broadband Internet subscriber base

    As per TRAI data for Jul-19, India’s broadband subscriber base across all platforms grew 2.25 percent or by 0.953 crore (95.3 lakh, 9.53 million) to 60.412 crore (6,041.2 lakh, 604.12 million) from 59.459 crore (5,945.9 lakh, 595.49 million) in Jun-19. Please refer to the figure below:

    The top five service providers constituted 98.95 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jul-19. These service providers were Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd with 33.979 crore (3,397.9 lakh, 339.79 million) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 12.394 crore (1,239.4 lakh, 123.94 million) subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 11.092 crore (1,109.2 lakh, 110.92 million) subscribers, BSNL with 2.164 crore (216.4 lakh, 21.64 million) subscribers and Atria Convergence with 0.147 crore (14.7 lakh, 1.47 million) subscribers.

    Wired Broadband Internet subscribers

    The number of wired broadband internet subscribers grew by just 10,000 in July-19. ACT and Hathway showed growth in subscribers, while BSNL and Bharti Airtel showed stagnant subscriber bases. As mentioned above, MTNL exited TRAI’s list of top 5 wired broadband internet servive providers while You Broadband re-entered it. ACT grew its base by 20,000 subscribers while Hathway’ssubscriber base grew by 10,000. This means that the other players which include MSOs’/LCOs’, lost 20,000 subscribersduring Jul-19.

    As on 31 July, 2019, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL with 0.095 crore (90.5 lakh 9.05 million) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 0.24 crore (24 lakh, 2.40 million) subscribers, Atria Convergence Technologies with 0.147 crore (14.7 lakh, 1.47 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom with 0.085 crore (8.5 lakh, 0.85 million) subscribers and You Broadband with 0.075 crore (7.5 lakh, 0.75 million).

    Wireless Broadband Internet subscribers

    As on 31 July, 2019, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd  with 33.979 crore (3,397.9 lakh 339.79 million) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 12.154 crore (1,215.4 lakh, 121.54 million)subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 11.090 crore (1,109 lakh, 110.90 million) subscribers, BSNL with 1.258 crore (125.8 lakh, 12.58 million) subscribers and MTNL with 0.021 crore (2.1 lakh, 0.21 million) subscribers.
     

  • Vodafone Idea launches TurboNet 4g in karnataka

    Vodafone Idea launches TurboNet 4g in karnataka

    MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s leading telecommunication service provider, today announced the launch of TurboNet 4G in Karnataka where it has successfully integrated the erstwhile Vodafone and Idea networks. With this, Bengaluru has become the first metro in the country to get TurboNet 4G services, in addition to other major cities like Mysuru, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Hubballi & Davangere in Karnataka.

    Additionally, to further enhance indoor user experience on 4G, Vodafone Idea Ltd. has deployed the future-fit L900 technology for its customers in Bangalore. This latest deployment enables higher penetration of 4G in indoor areas offering enhanced network experience for customers.

    The launch of TurboNet 4G follows the successful consolidation of its radio network integration and the deployment of newer technologies to further boost network capacity and coverage across large parts of the country.

    Speaking on the occasion Arvind Nevatia, Circle Business Head – Karnataka, Vodafone idea Ltd. said, “With TurboNet 4G, 14 Mn Vodafone Idea customers in Karnataka will get faster download and upload speeds, better coverage and enhanced user experience while consuming content on their smartphones. While there is already more than 2X times improvement in 4G speeds in many markets, our latest deployment of L900 technology in Bangalore, will further greatly enhance indoor coverage and provide HD quality voice calling and higher data speeds at places where our customers need these services the most. With a strong unified network and rich digital content, we are confident of giving all our customers a superior network experience.”

    Mobile users of other networks who wish to switch to Vodafone Idea TurboNet 4G and benefit from our superior network experience can connect by dialling the toll-free number 1800-123-612345.

    According to Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd., “With the integration of two strong networks in many markets, Vodafone Idea is becoming a higher powered, super charged 4G network on the back of larger number of sites, deployment of future fit technologies and greater spectrum allocation. TurboNet truly defines the reinvented 4G network which promises to deliver wider coverage, increased capacity, turbo speeds and superior customer experience. Our unified network is being presented to customers of both brands under a single brand proposition – TurboNet 4G – in all the integrated markets in India. So whether you are a Vodafone or Idea customer, your network is now bigger, stronger and better.”

    As per Ookla, the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications, Vodafone and Idea brands are delivering fastest upload and download 4G speeds in many of the integrated markets. More details on www.vodafoneidea.com

    With the turbo speeds being offered on both the brands, customers can enjoy live TV shows, latest movies and a variety of original content on Vodafone Play and Idea Movies and TV App. Vodafone Idea has partnered with leading content creators and aggregators like Eros, Sony, Zee5, Hungama Play, T-Series, SunNXT, ShemarooMe, Hoichoi, TV Today, Discovery and many others that provides an array of free premium content to subscribers to enjoy on TurboNet 4G. Additionally, the company has tie ups with leading content providers like Amazon Prime and Netflix for its premium customers.

  • Mumbai police supported by vodafone idea to make ganesh visarjan safer

    Mumbai police supported by vodafone idea to make ganesh visarjan safer

    Mumbai Police has been supported by Vodafone Idea Limited, India’s leading telecom operator to enable drone surveillance at crucial Ganesh visarjan locations across the city on 6 Sep (5th day), 7 Sep (6th day), 12 Sep (11th day) and 13 Sep (12th day).

    The drones are doing aerial patrolling at three prominent visarjan locations in Mumbai – Juhu Chowpatty, Girgaon Chowpatty and Ashish Talao Chembur where over 15 lakh devotees are expected to attend the visarjan festivities. These drones are equipped with high definition video cameras, and the video feed generated will be live-streamed to the Mumbai Police’s state-of-the-art control room using Vodafone’s seamless 4G network.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sunil Tolani, Business Head – Mumbai, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “Ganesh Chaturthi is the biggest festival that Mumbai celebrates. Being headquartered here, it is our duty and privilege to support Mumbai Police in their relentless efforts to keep the city safe and secure. We are using Vodafone’s seamless 4G network across the city to provide live feeds from airborne drones to Mumbai Police’s control room for enhanced security.  With this, we hope that Mumbaikars will enjoy a safer and happier visarjan.”

    Speaking on this event the spokesperson from Mumbai police said, “Mumbai Police appreciates the support provided by Vodafone Idea and looks forward to such associations in the future.”

    Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most awaited festivals and is marked with the installation of the deity's idol at home and at elaborate pandals. Each year, visarjans draw heavy crowds and while there is enough arrangement to ensure smooth functioning, it is not always possible to keep an eagle-eye on all the idols, especially at large visarjan points such as beaches.

  • Broadband subscriber growth improved in Jun-19

    Broadband subscriber growth improved in Jun-19

    BENGALURU: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data for the month ended 30 June 2019 (Jun-19, month or period under review) reveals that broadband subscriber additions have improved. Jun-19 recorded the second-highest number of subscriber additions in a month in the calendar year (CY 19) until 30 June 2019 at 130.8 lakh. The highest number of subscriber additions in CY 2019 was in the month ended 31 January 2019 (Jan-19) at 214.l9 lakh. 130.7 lakh broadband subscribers were added in India in the month ended 31 March 2019 (Mar-19).

    The highest growth in broadband subscribers was wireless internet subscribers through Mobile – (Phones and Dongles) with 131.1 lakh subscriber additions during the period under review. Wired internet subscriber base in Jun-19 declined by 30,000, while subscribers of Fixed wireless- WiFi, Wi Max, Point to Point, Radio, Vsat remained static at 5.4 lakh.

    Wireless broadband internet subscribers

    In the case of wireless or mobile, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (Jio) was the biggest contributor in terms of broadband subscribers with 82.7 lakh subscribers added during the month under review. Jio’s subscriber base in Jun-19 was 3,312.6 lakh as compared to 3,229.9 lakh subscribers in May-19. Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel), the second largest wireless broadband internet player in terms of subscribers, added 31.40 lakh wireless subscribers in Jun-19 to take its subscriber base to 1,190.90 lakh from 1,159,5 lakh in May-19. At third rank, the merged Idea-Vodafone entity added 15.1 lakh subscribers in Jun-19 to achieve a subscriber base of 1,105 lakh from 1,089.9 lakh in May-19. The fourth-ranked public sector BSNL added 3 lakh wireless broadband subscribers in Jun-19 for subscriber base of 128.7 lakh from 125.7 lakh in May-19. At fifth rank, Tata Teleservices saw its wireless broadband subscriber base decline by 90,000 to 14 lakh in Jun-19 from 14.9 lakh in May-19.

    Wired broadband internet subscribers 

    As mentioned above, wired internet subscriber base declined by 30,000 in Jun-19 to 18.42 lakh in Jun-19 from 18.45 lakh in May-19. The two public sector wired broadband internet service providers – BSNL and MTNL lost 1.3 lakh wired broadband internet subscribers. Among the top 5 wired internet broadband internet subscribers, three private players added 1.1 lakh subscribers. Besides BSNL and MTNL losing 20,000 wired broadband subscribers, another 10,000 subscribers were lost by the other players during Jun-19.

    BSNL continued to be the leading wired broadband internet services provider in Jun-19 with 90.5 lakh subscribers as compared to 90.9 lakh subscribers in the previous month, hence incurred a loss of 40,000 subscribers during the month. At second place was Airtel which added 10,000 subscribers in Jun-19 for a subscriber base of 24 lakh as compared to 23.9 lakh in May-19. Atria Convergence Technologies or ACT was ranked third in terms of number of wired broadband subscribers. ACT also added 10,000 subscribers in Jun-19 to reach a subscriber base of 14.5 lakh as compared to 14.4 lakh in May-19. Hathway Cable and Datacom Ltd (Hathway) added 90,000 wired broadband subscribers to reach a subscriber base of 8.4 lakh in Jun-19 from 7.5 lakh in May-19. Fifth-ranked MTNL lost 90,000 subscribers in Jun-19 to reach a base of 7.4 lakh wired broadband subscribers in Jun-19 from 8.3 lakh in May-19.

    All broadband internet subscribers

    The top five broadband service providers constituted 98.72 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jun-19. These service providers were Jio with 3,312.6 lakh (331.26 million, 33.126 crore) subscribers, Airtel with 1,214.93 lakh (121.49 million, 12.149 crore) subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 1,105.2 lakh (110.52 million, 11.052 crore) subscribers, BSNL with 219.3 lakh (21.93 million, 2.193 crore) subscribers and Tata Teleservices with 17.6 lakh (1.76 million, 0.176 crore) subscribers.

  • Vodafone Idea CEO Balesh Sharma resigns, Ravinder Takkar to take over

    Vodafone Idea CEO Balesh Sharma resigns, Ravinder Takkar to take over

     The Board of Vodafone Idea Limited today announced that it has accepted Balesh Sharma’s request for personal reasons to step down as CEO of Vodafone Idea. Balesh will be taking up a new role with Vodafone Group, which will be announced in due course. Ravinder Takkar, currently Vodafone Group’s representative in India, will be appointed as his successor with immediate effect.

    Balesh has been the CEO of Vodafone Idea since the completion of the merger, and prior to that was Chief Operating Officer of Vodafone India. He has overseen the successful integration of Vodafone Idea – resulting in the estimated timescale to complete the integration falling from four to just two years. Balesh has driven the strategy of the combined business since its formation and he has also spearheaded the largest-ever equity raise in India.

    Ravinder Takkar, an experienced global executive, is currently a Board member of Vodafone Idea and Indus Towers, where he is responsible for all Vodafone Group interests in India, a role which he took on in 2017. Prior to his current role, Ravinder was the CEO of Vodafone Romania for three years and CEO of Vodafone Partner Markets in London. He has been with Vodafone Group since 1994 and brings a wealth of experience in telecom industry having worked in several leadership positions across Vodafone’s operating companies over the last 25 years.

    Ravinder has been involved in the Indian telecom industry since 2007 when Vodafone Group entered the Indian market. He has held a number of senior roles in Strategy and Business Development and he was CEO of the Enterprise business.

    Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Idea Limited, said, “I would like to thank Balesh for his leadership and the successful integration of the two businesses. Under Balesh's stewardship, Vodafone Idea has realised a significant proportion of the synergies in a much shorter timescale than originally estimated. I wish him every success in his next role. I am pleased to welcome Ravinder Takkar as our new MD & CEO. Ravinder is well versed with the Vodafone Idea business context and I am confident that he will successfully steer the company through the next phase of development and help unlock its full potential.”

  • Vodafone Idea offers customers exclusive acess to ZEE5 theatre

    Vodafone Idea offers customers exclusive acess to ZEE5 theatre

    MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea, India’s leading telecom operator and ZEE5, India’s fastest growing OTT platform have come together to make ZEE5 Theatre available to its subscribers on the go. With this exclusive offer, subscribers can now tune in to ZEE5 Theatre, a live channel available on Vodafone Play and Idea Movies & TV app.

    The move is in line with the philosophy of Vodafone Idea of offering a range of content choices to the customers. Vodafone Idea customers can now enjoy varied plays across genres such as thriller, supernatural, crime, family drama, comedy and periodic drama ensuring a seamless viewing experience. After discovering the content, customers can access it on Vodafone Play and Idea Movies & TV app. ZEE5 Theatre will offer nine plays this July and further keep adding two new plays every week on Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 PM.

    Some of the RENOWNED plays which customers will be able to watch as a part of this partnership include:

    Savita Damodar Paranjape, a psychological thriller starring Shilpa Tulaskar and Vinay Jain
    Doll’s House based on Norwegian playwright, poet and theatre director Henrik Johan Ibsen's A Doll's House featuring Swastika Mukherjee and Subhrajyoti Barat
    Double Game, a suspense drama starring popular theatre and television actor Kiran Karmarkar and renowned actor-singer Rajeshwari Sachdev
    Vaastav, based on the blockbuster crime flick of the same name, Vaastav is the quintessential concoction of ambition, struggle and family emotions starring Puru Chibber and Mitalee Jagtap.

    Commenting on the partnership Avneesh Khosla, Operations Director – Marketing, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “We are excited to partner with ZEE5 IN ORDER TO make  exclusive theatre PRODUCTIONS more accessible  .We intend to reach customers who enjoy Theatre and are not being catered to through other platforms..

    Speaking about the association, Manish Aggarwal, Business Head, ZEE5 India said, “The Vodafone Idea association has been truly remarkable and we are now adding some well renowned plays for audiences in this offering. Theatre is an integral part of entertainment and we hope audiences enjoy watching these live from the comfort of their homes. Our strong repertoire of content backed with Vodafone Idea’s reach is certainly to make waves among viewers.”

    Vodafone Idea and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited announced a strategic partnership a few months back for ZEE5 – the fastest growing OTT platform in the country. Under the strategic partnership, aimed at driving the growth of digital ecosystem in India, the content portfolio of ZEE5 is available to Vodafone Idea customers on Vodafone Play as well as Idea Movies & TV app. Customers of Vodafone Idea can enjoy the entire content catalogue of ZEE5 thereby providing a seamless viewing experience via multiple devices.

  • Broadband subs growth still sluggish in May 2019

    Broadband subs growth still sluggish in May 2019

    BENGALURU: India’s broadband subscribers growth has slowed down over the past few months according to data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). For the first time in 17 months, two consecutive months saw subscribers grow less than 1 crore (10 million, 100 lakh) per month. India’s broadband internet subscribers grew by 0.956 crore (9.56 million, 95.6 lakh) or 1.7 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) in the month ended 31 May 2019 (May-19, month under review) and grew by 0.864 crore (8.64 million, 86.4 lakh) or 1.5 percent m-o-m in the month ended 30 April 2019 (Apr-19). In March 2019, broadband internet subscribers grew by 1.307 crore (13.07 million, 130.7 lakh) or 2.5 percent m-o-m as compared to Feb-19. Broadband internet subscribers across all platforms grew in May-19 to 58.151 crore (581.51 million, 5,815.1 lakh) from 57.195 crore (571.95 million, 5,719.5 lakh) in Apr-19. The total broadband subscriber base in Mar-19 stood at 56.331 crore (563.31 million, 5,633.1 lakh).

    As has been the norm, broadband internet subscriber growth was led by Mobile devices users (Phones and dongles) in May-19. Mobile device broadband subscribers grew by 1.027 crore (10.27 million, 102.7 lakh) or 1.8 percent m-o-m to 56.252 crore (562.52 million, 5,625.2 lakh) in May-19 from 55.225 crore (552.25 million, 5,522.5 lakh) in Apr-19. Mukesh Dhirbhai Ambani’s biggest startup in the world – Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) led growth with the addition of 0.818 crore (8.18 million, 81.8 lakh) in May-19 at 32.299 crore (322.99 million or 3,229.9 lakh) from 31.481 crore (318.41 million, 3,184.1 lakh) in Apr-19. Bharti Airtel (Airtel) witnessed wireless subscriber growth of 0.262 crore (2.62 million or 26.2 lakh) in May-19 at 11.595 crore (115.95 million or 1,159.5 lakh) from 11.333 crore (113.33 million or 1,133.3 lakh) in Apr-19. The third largest broadband internet services player in the country – the Vodafone-Idea combine saw wireless internet subscribers decline by 0.065 crore (0.65 million or 6.5 lakh) in May-19 to 10.899 crore (108.99 million or 1,089.9 lakh) from 10.964 crore (109.64 million, 1,096.4 lakh) in Apr-19. The public sector BSNL saw subscribers grow 0.018 crore (0.18 million, 1.8 lakh) to 1.257 crore (12.57 million or 125.7 lakh) from 1.239 crore (12.39 million or 123.9 lakh) in Apr-19.

    Wired subscribers grew 0.2 percent or by 40,000 to 1.845 crore (18.45 million, 184.5 lakh) in May-19 from 1.841 crore (18.41 million or 184.1 lakh) in Apr-19. Three of the five top wired internet players saw subscriber growth, one witnessed decline and one saw no growth at all. The largest wired broadband internet player- BSNL saw subscribers decline by 60,000 to 0.909 crore (9.09 million or 90.9 crore) in May-19 from 0.915 crore (9.15 million or 91.5 lakh) in Apr-19. The largest private wired broadband internets services player in the country – Airtel witnessed subscriber growth of 10,000 to 0.239 crore (2.39 million or 23.9 lakh) in May-19 from 0.238 crore (2.38 million or 23.8 lakh) in Apr-19. Atria Convergence Technologies or  ACT also witnessed subscriber growth of 10,000 in May-19 to 0.144 crore (1.44 million or 14.4) lakh from 0.143 crore (1.43 million or 14.3 lakh). The fourth largest wired internet services player in terms of subscribers – Hathway also saw its subscriber base grow by 10,000 to 0.083 crore (0.83 million or 8.3 lakh) from 0.082 crore (0.82 million or 8.2 lakh). The fifth largest wired broadband internet services player – MTNL saw no growth in subscribers in May-19 as compared to Apr-19. BASNL had a subscriber growth of 0.075 crore (0.75 million or 7.5 lakh) at the end of May-19.

    The top five broadband internet service providers across all platforms constituted 98.69 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of May-19. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd  (Jio)  at 32.299 crore (322.99 million, 3,229.9 lakh), Bharti Airtel 11.834 crore (118.34 million, 1,183.4 lakh), Vodafone Idea 10.901 crore (109.01 million, 1,090.1 lakh), BSNL 2.167 crore (21.67 million or 216.7 lakh) and Tata Teleservices 0.187 crore (1.87 million, 18.7 lakh).

  • Jio leads in AGR for March ’19 quarter

    Jio leads in AGR for March ’19 quarter

    MUMBAI: Fresh data from TRAI has shown that Reliance Jio was again the top telecom operator for the quarter ended March 2019. It had an adjusted gross revenue of Rs 9839 crore.

    Vodafone Idea had an AGR of Rs 7113.4 crore, which was 1.25 per cent lower than the previous quarter. Vodafone Idea is the largest telecom company on the basis of subscriber base.

    Bharti Airtel had an AGR of Rs 5920.2 crore, an 8 per cent fall.

    Jio's AGR from mobile saw a rise of 3.76 per cent to touch Rs 9838.9 crore. However, the q-o-q AGR growth for Jio was lower than the 14.6 per cent growth it saw in the previous quarter.

  • Broadband internet subscriber additions small in April 2019

    Broadband internet subscriber additions small in April 2019

    BENGALURU: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data for the month ended 30 April 2019 (Apr-19, month under review) reveals that India’s broadband subscriber base grew by 86.4 lakh (8.64 million, 0.864 crore). This is only the fourth time over the past 15 months that less than 1 crore subscribers were added, the earlier occasions being for the month ended 31 August 2018 (34.1 lakh, 3.14 million 0.314 crore), 31 December 2018 (66.5 lakh, 6.65 million, 0.665 crore) and 30 April 2018 (71.9 lakh, 7.91 million, 0.791 crore).  It must be noted that TRAI indicates subscriber data in terms of millions  up to two decimal points, hence the granularity of subscriber data in this report is limited to 10,000.

    Growth in the country’s broadband internet subscriber base was led by mobile (phones and dongles), followed by growth in subscribers of Fixed wireless- WiFi, Wi Max, Point to Point, Radio, Vsat internet services. Wired broadband internet subscriber base saw a decline in Apr-19.

    As mentioned above, broadband internet subscribers grew by 86.4 lakh (8.64 million, 0.864 crore), or by 1.53 percent to 5,719.5 lakh (571.95 million, 57.195 crore) in Apr-19 as compared to 5,633.1 lakh (563.31 million, 56.331 crore) at the end of Mar-19. Mobile broadband internet subscribers increased by 78.8 lakh (7.88 million or 0.788 crore) in Apr-19 or 1.45 percent to 5,522.5 Lakh (552.25 million, 55.225 crore) from 5,443.7 lakh (544.37 million, 54.437 crore) in Mar-19. Wired broadband internet subscriber based declined by 0.04 percent or declined by about 10,000 to 184.1 lakh (18.41 million, 1.841 crore) in Apr-19 from 184.2 lakh (18.41 million or 1.841 crore) in Mar-19.  Subscribers of Fixed wireless- WiFi, Wi Max, Point to Point, Radio, Vsat internet services more than doubled (increased by 147.22 percent, 7.6 lakh or 0.76 million or 0.076 crore) during the period under review to 12.8 lakh (1.28 million, 0.128 crore) from 5.2 lakh (0.52 million or 0.052 crore) in the previous month Mar-19.

    The top five broadband internet service providers constituted 98.68 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Apr-19. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd or Jio  which had 3,148.1 lakh (314.81 million, 31.481 crore);  Bharti Airtel  or Airtel with 1,157.1 lakh (115.71 million, 11.571 crore); Vodafone Idea 1,096.6 lakh (109.66 million, 10.966.crore), BSNL 222.9 lakh  (22.29 million, 2.229 crore) and Tata Tele. Group 19.4 lakh (1.94 million, 0.194 crore).

    Wireless broadband internet subscribers

    As on 30 April, 2019, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd  with 3,148.1 lakh (314.81 million, 31.481 crore), Bharti Airtel 1,133.3 lakh (113.33 million, 11.333 crore), Vodafone Idea 1,096.4 lakh (109.64 million, 10.964 crore), BSNL 123.9 lakh (12.39 million, 1.239 crore) and Tata Teleservices 15.4 lakh (1.54 million, 0.154 crore).

    As has been the case right from the time it was launched, growth in wireless broadband internet subscribers was led by Jio which added 80.9 lakh (8.90 million, 0.809 crore) subscribers in Apr-19.  Airtel added 10.7 lakh (1.07 million, 0.107 crore) during the period, while Vodafone-Idea lost 5.6 lakh (0.56 million, 0.56 crore). Also, BSNL lost 5.4 lakh (0.54 million, 0.054 crore) subscribers during the period under review.

    Wired broadband internet subscribers

    As on 30 April, 2019, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL with 91.5 lakh (9.15 million, 0.915 crore), Bharti Airtel 23.8 lakh (2.38 million 0.238 crore), Atria Convergence Technologies  or ACT with 14.3 lakh (1.43 million, 0.143 crore), Hathway Cable & Datacom or Hathway with 8.2 lakh (0.82 million, 0.082 crore) and MTNL 7.5 lakh (0.75 million, 0.075 crore).

    Both the public sector service providers BSNL and MTNL lost subscribers in Apr-19, while the three private players – Airtel, ACT and Hathway gained subscribers in Apr-19. BSNL lost 20,000 subscribers, while MTNL lost 40,000 subscribers in Apr-19. Hathway and Airtel added 50,000 subscribers each, while ACT added 20,000 subscribers during the month under review. Overall, the top 5 subscribers added a net of 60,000 subscribers in Apr-19, while the number of wired broadband subscribers in India shrank by 10,000, hence, the other players which include MSOs’ and LCOs’ saw their wired broadband subscriber base decline by 70,000.

  • Airtel led broadband subscriber growth in Jan-19

    Airtel led broadband subscriber growth in Jan-19

    BENGALURU: The Sunil Mittal-promoted Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) led broadband subscriber growth, both wired as well as wired internet, for the month ended 31 January 2019 (1 January 2019 to 31 January 2019, Jan-19) according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data for the period. In Jan-19, Airtel added 0.997 crore (9.97 million, 99.7 lakh) wireless subscribers, hence upstaging the Mukesh Ambani’s juggernaut Reliance JioInfocomm (Jio) which added 0.932 crore (9.32 crore, 93.2 lakh) subscribers in Jan-19. Airtel also added 30,000 or about 30 percent to the growth of 1,00,000 in wired broadband internet subscribers Jan-19.

    Overall, the number of broadband subscribers grew by 2.149 crore (21.49 million, 214.9 lakh) in Jan-19, much higher than the 1.532 crore (15.32 million, 153.2 lakh) subscribers that were added in Jan-18, and even higher than the 2.054 crore (20.54 million, 205.4 lakh) subscribers added in Mar-18, the month which saw the highest number of subscribers added in any month in 2018. In percentage terms, India’s broadband subscriber base grew by 4.1 percent in Jan-19 to reach 54.004 crore (540.04 million, 5,400.4 lakh) from 51.855 crore (518.55 million, 5185.5 lakh) in Dec-18.

    In Jan-19, wireless broadband internet subscribers constituted about 96.5 percent of the broadband internet services base in India, followed by wired broadband internet services (3.4 percent) and Fixed Wireless subscribers (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Point-to- Point Radio & VSAT) at about 0.1 percent. While the subscriber base of the former two grew in Jan-19, in the case of Fixed Wireless subscribers (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Point-to- Point Radio & VSAT) the base declined by about 10,000 .

    Please refer to the figures below:

    In Jan-19, the top five service providers constituted 98.63 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jan-19. These service providers were Jio 28.994 crore (289.94 million, 2,899.4 lakh), Airtel 11.025 crore (110.25 million, 1,102.5 lakh), Vodafone Idea 10.986 crore (109.86 million, 1,098.6 lakh), BSNL 2.081 crore (20.81 million, 208.1 lakh) and Tata Tele group 0.226 crore (2.26 million, 22.6 lakh).

    Wireless broadband internet – mobile device users (phones and dongles)

    As mentioned above, India’s wireless broadband internet services have been leading broadband internet subscriber base as well as subscriber growth in the country  – wireless broadband internet subscriber base grew 4.28 percent in Jan-19 to reach 52.135 crore (521.35 million, 5213.5 lakh) from 49.995 crore (499.95 million, 4999.5 lakh) at the end of Dec-18.

    As on 31 January, 2019, the top five wireless broadband service providers were Jio  28.944 crore (289.44 million, 2,894.4 lakh), Vodafone Idea 10.984 crore (109.84 million, 1,098.4 lakh), Airtel  10.796 crore (107.96 million, 1,079.6 lakh), BSNL 1.164 crore (11.64 million, 116.4 lakh) and Tata Teleservices 0.179 crore (1.79 million, 17.9 lakh).

    Wired broadband internet

    Also, as mentioned above, India’s wired broadband internet subscribers grew by 1,00,000 (0.56 percent) in Jan-19. There were 1.827 crore (18.27 million, 182.7 lakh) wired broadband internet subscribers in the period under consideration as compared to 1.817 crore 18.17 million, 181.7 lakh) in the previous month, Dec-18.

    As on 31 January, 2019, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL 0.917 crore (9.17 million), 91.7 lakh, Bharti Airtel 0.23 crore (2.30 million, 23 lakh), Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) 0.14 crore (1.40 million, 14 lakh), Hathway Cable & Datacom (Hathway) 0.079 crore  (0.79 million, 7.9 lakh) and MTNL 0.077 crore  (0.77 million, 7.7 lakh).

    While the public sector BSNL’s subscriber base remained stagnant, its smaller public sector sibling MTNL lost 10,000 subscribers, as well its fourth rank in terms of number of wired broadband subscribers in Jan-19 to Hathway which had added 10,000 subscribers in the same period. The other player – ACT also added 10,000 subscribers in Jan-19.