Vodafone Idea and Airtel lost subscribers during lockdown; analysts cautious

NEW DELHI: Even as data consumption spiked during the lockdown as consumers were forced to stay work, telecom operators lost subscribers during the lockdown, data released by the telecom regulator for March 2020 suggests. Most of the subscriber loss was reported by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. In all, the industry lost 2.9 million gross subscribers in March (against 4-5 million monthly subscriber additions in the previous two months) to reach a subscriber base of 1.16 billion. Airtel lost 1.3 million subscribers and Vodafone Idea 6.4 million, while Jio added 4.7 million.

“We are certain that the lower addition has been hit by restrictions from mid-March and the nationwide lockdown during the latter half of the months,” Aliasgar Shakir of Motilal Oswal said in a July 14 report. The rise in tariffs also could be a factor, he said.