Sep-18: Wireline broadband subscriber base continued to fall

BENGALURU: India’s broadband internet subscriber base increased 3.89 per cent or by 1.805 crore (1805 lakh or 18.05 million) in September 2018 (month ended 30 September 2018, Sep-18, period under review) according to the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data. There were 48.170 crore (4,817 lakh or 481.70 million) broadband internet subscribers as on 30 September 2018 as compared to 44.518 crore (4,451.8 lakh, 445.18 million) at the end of August 2018. Broadband subscribers through mobile devices such as phones and dongles grew 3.98 per cent or 0.774 crore (77.4 lakh, 7.74 million) in Sep-18 to 46.289 crore (4,628.9 lakh, 462.89 million from 44.518 crore (4,451.8 lakh, 445.18 million) at the end of August 2018.

Wired internet services lost around 30,000 subscribers (0.18 per cent) in Sep-18 according to TRAI data. The total number of wired broadband internet subscribers declined to 1.799 crore (179.9 lakh, 17.99 million) in Sep-18 from 1.802 crore (180.2 lakh, 18.02 million Aug-18.

The number of broadband internet subscribers availing services through WiFi, Wi Max, Point to point, Radio, Vsat increased 81.67 per cent to 0.082 crore (8.2 lakh, 0.82 million) in Sep-18 from 0.045 crore (4.5 lakh, 0.45 million) in Aug-18.
Please refer to the figure below:

The top five broadband internet service providers constituted 97.86 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Sep-18. These service providers were Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd (Jio) - 25.225 crore (2,522.5 lakh, 252.25 million), Bharti Airtel or Airtel 9.929 crore (992.9 lakh, 99.29 million), Vodafone 5.182 crore (518.2 lakh, 51.82 million), Idea Cellular 4.79 crore (479 lakh, 47.90 million) and BSNL 2.012 crore (201.2 lakh, 20.12 million).

Wireless Internet

As on 30 September 2018, the top five wireless broadband service providers were Jio 25.225 crore (2,522.5 lakh, 252.25 million), Airtel 9.705 crore (970.5 lakh, 97.05 million), Vodafone 5.181 crore (518.1 lakh, 51.81 million), Idea Cellular 4.789 crore (478.9 lakh, 47.89 million) and BSNL 1.079 crore (107.9 lakh, 10.97 million). Please refer to the figure below:

The public sector BSNL continued to bleed subscribers in Sep-18. BSNL lost 0.022 crore (2.2 lakh, 0.22 million subscribers) in the month. BSNL’s wireless broadband internet subscriber base declined 2 per cent to 1.097 crore (109.7 lakh, 10.97 million) in Sep 18 from 1.119 crore (111.90 lakh, 11.19 million). BSNL’s wireless broadband internet subscriber base has declined to just half in Sep-18 from 2.195 crore (219.5 lakh, 21.95 million) as on 31 December 2017 (Dec-17) or 1 January 2018.

Vodafone’s subscriber base grew by 0.056 crore (5.6 lakh, 0.56 million) in Sep-18 as compared to Aug-18, but has declined by 0.063 crore (6.3 lakh, 0.63 million) as compared to its base as on 1 January 2018. This was because of its merger with Idea cellular in August 2018. The Vodafone India and Idea Cellular combine had to forego about 140 lakh (14 million, 1.4 crore) subscribers in six circles and revenues of more than Rs 2,000 crore in three circles as the merged Vodafone and Idea Cellular entity would breach the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)-prescribed 50 per cent cap on subscribers and revenue in the respective states.

Wireless Broadband Internet

As on 30 September, 2018, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL (9.15 million), Airtel (2.24 million), Atria Convergence Technologies or ACT (1.36 million), MTNL (0.80 million) and Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.75 million). Three of the top 5 wired broadband internet services providers lost about 10,000 subscribers each, while the other two – Airtel and did not show any growth.

Airtel added the highest number of wireline broadband subscribers in calendar year 2018 until Sep-18 with 90,000, followed by Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) which added 80,000 subs during the period.