In August 2023, Vodafone Idea (VI) for the first time managed to keep its user base loss below 50,000, marking a significant improvement since the merger of Vodafone and Idea in 2018. According to reports, during August, Reliance Jio added more mobile users compared to Airtel, as revealed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The introduction of Jio Bharat, a low-cost internet-enabled feature phone launched in July, played a crucial role in attracting customers, especially in rural markets, resulting in a gain of 3.24 million mobile users for Jio in August. In the same period, Airtel added 1.21 million users to its network. However, BSNL lost 2.22 million mobile users during this period, according to TRAI data.
VI’s loss of only 49,782 mobile users in August is considered positive for the company. VI has been focusing on retaining its user base and attracting customers through the launch of pocket-friendly plans, such as Binge All Night. This represents VI’s lowest user loss in any single month since the merger.
In terms of overall mobile users, Jio’s user base increased to 445.73 million, Airtel’s total users reached 376.46 million, VI’s mobile user count remained around 228.28 million, and BSNL’s numbers declined to 95.83 million. The overall mobile user count in India at the end of August reached approximately 1.148 billion, representing a 0.19% increase from July.