Tariff hike by telecom majors helped BSNL gain 2.9M users in July

State-owned BSNL gained 2.9 million new mobile subscribers in July, following rate hikes by telecom giants Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) in the previous month. In contrast, Bharti Airtel experienced the largest subscriber loss, shedding nearly 1.7 million users.

Vodafone Idea lost 1.4 million subscribers, while Reliance Jio saw a decline of 758,000 users during the same period, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The report also highlighted that Bharti Airtel faced the highest customer exodus in July.

In early July, Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea introduced new tariff plans with price hikes ranging from 10% to 25%. Both Jio and Airtel increased the entry-level prices for their 5G plans by 46%, with unrestricted 5G connectivity now only available on plans offering 2GB or more data per day.

While Jio has excluded its JioBharat and JioPhone plans from the price hike, Airtel raised the cost of its voice-only plans by 11%, setting INR 199 as the base plan. Jio’s price increases were more substantial, ranging from 12% to 25%, compared to Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and other carriers.

BSNL remains the only telecom operator without any rate increases. It is currently testing 4G services in select areas, with a full rollout expected by mid-2025. The company plans to install 100,000 4G towers by March 2025, with 80,000 set to be operational by October 2024.

On the 5G front, BSNL has partnered with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) to improve speeds and reduce latency across India. BSNL has already begun testing its 5G technology, with trials of its in-house 5G network underway in Delhi, covering areas like Minto Road, Chanakyapuri, and Nehru Place.