Reliance Jio became the number one landline telephone service provider in India in August surpassing BSNL, the state-run company. This is the first time since the beginning of telecom services in India that a private operator has gained the number one position in the wireline segment.
According to telecom regulator Trai’s subscriber report for August, Jio’s landline subscriber base has reached 73,50,000, while that of BSNL at 71,30,000. BSNL has been providing wireline services since the last 22 years, while Jio launched its landline service three years ago.
Landline subscribers in India grew to 25.9 million in August from 25.6 million in July. The growth was dominated by the private sector, with Jio adding 260,000 customers, Bharti Airtel 120,000, Vodafone Idea 4,202 and Tata Teleservices adding 3,769 users.
BSNL and MTNL lost 15,734 and 13,395 wireline customers respectively in August. The overall telecom subscriber base in India grew marginally in August, with Jio adding most of the new customers and rural areas growing at a higher rate than urban centres, according to Trai report.
