As at the end of March, the Reliance Jio had more than 100 million subscribers who are 5G-only, giving it an edge over Bharti Airtel, which closed the year’s final quarter with nearly 75 million 5G customers.
Ookla, a firm specializing in network testing and data analysis, credited Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel with significantly contributing to the proliferation of 5G in India through their rapid expansion of 5G network coverage nationwide.
Both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have yet to comment on these subscriber numbers as queried by ET.
Affandy Johan from Ookla underscored that India’s brisk enhancement of 5G networks has notably advanced the country’s standing in global rankings for 5G median download speeds.
An Airtel executive highlighted the role of the company’s strategic partnerships with smartphone brands, such as Poco, in launching budget-friendly 5G smartphones under ₹10,000, aiding in the surge to approximately 75 million 5G subscribers.
Further, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released data showing Airtel’s growth in active mobile subscribers outpaced Jio’s in January 2024, though Jio managed to attract more premium 4G and 5G subscribers in the same timeframe. Conversely, Vodafone Idea (Vi) saw a dip in both its active subscriber count and its 3G/4G user base.
As for specifics, Airtel added 3.55 million active subscribers in January, while Jio only 1.1 million. However, Vi lost 1.72 million active users, respectively. Airtel’s active userbase has increased to 381.09 million, Jio – 425.61 million, and Vi’s – reduced to 194.96 million.
