Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, two of the top telcos in India, performed well in the wireline segment in July 2022. While these telcos added new subscribers to their overall base, they lost active users in the wireless segment. In the wireline, Jio and Airtel added 1,13,707 and 49,341 users, respectively. Vodafone Idea (Vi), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), and MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) lost 15,845, 54,375, and 16,169 users in total. The data has been shared by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its monthly performance report.
Jio and Airtel’s FTTH Services Demand Rising
Jio and Airtel saw growth in the wireline segment owing to the strong demand for FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) broadband services. In a short span, JioFiber became the leading ISP (internet service provider) in India, and at the second position is Airtel Xstream Fiber. BSNL lost market share in the fixed-broadband space mainly because its existing DSL broadband connection users started shifting to the fiber services provided by Airtel and Jio. As of July 31, 2022, in the wireline segment, Jio’s market share stood at 27.67%, followed by Airtel’s 23.72%. BSNL’s market share was 27.89%. Take a look at the table below for a monthly comparison of the market share of the telcos in the wireline segment.
Monthly Comparison of Market Share in Wireline Segment of Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL
It is evident that only Jio and Airtel are seeing positive gains in the market share. Both Vodafone Idea and BSNL are losing on this front as well. BSNL used to be the king of fixed-line broadband services in India. But that’s not the case anymore. Jio and Airtel have takeover both mobile as well as fixed-line broadband services. It would be interesting to see if BSNL can fight back with the private telcos.
