Airtel loses 1.2 million active subscribers in October, highest in 17 months

India’s second largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel has lost 1.2 million active subscribers in October, which is the highest in the last 17 months, according to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Out of the total 378.13 million subscribers, the company’s active subscribers at the end of October were at 374.96 million, a loss of 1.2 million from the previous month, Trai data showed.

One of the reasons for this can be the loss of active users at the lower end of subscriber base for the company to market leader Jio, based on an increase in demand for JioBharat 4G phone, according to analysts. Besides, an increase in entry-level tariffs by Airtel last year could have also led to churn in active users, analysts said.