BSNL makes significant gains to new mobile subscribers in J&K, pips many private telcos
Srinagar, Oct 6: State-owned BSNL has pipped Bharti Airtel in terms of new mobile customer addition in Jammu and Kashmir, and Reliance Jio continued to lead the chart in August, according to data published by telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday. However, in terms of total active subscriber base, J&K added 57204 mobile subscribers in Augusts, as per TRAI data.
In terms of the company wise data, Bharti Airtel lost 5728 subscribers in J&K, while BSNL added 4473 new mobile subscribers in August. Leading telco in terms of numbers, Reliance Jio added 57,009 subscribers, while Vodafone Idea saw a marginal increase and added 2751 new active mobile subscriber in Jammu and Kashmir during August this year.
Notably, the fall in subscriber base for Bharti Airtel comes after the leading telecommunications service provider in a statement issued in December last year said “it has maintained its dominance in the wireless subscriber market in the Jammu and Kashmir circle for the fag end of 2024.
According to the earlier data, released by the TRAI, Airtel’s subscriber base in the region stood at 6,101,786 as of October, 2024. However, this started witnessing a slight decrease and went down to 6,100, 700 in November, 2024 as per TRAI data. In August, 2025, Bharti Airtel had 6,366,434 total active mobile phone subscribers in J&K.
Mobile phone subscribers say costlier cell phone bills are proving to be a burden. Besides, unlike prepaid service, which provides flexible recharge options, postpaid service is comparatively heavier on the pocket, mobile phone users have lamented. “A monthly bill of Rs 500 may not be a huge amount for someone with a handsome earning but what about the common man. The price hike has certainly proved to be a burden on commoners,” said Khursheed Ahmad, a Srinagar resident. Ahmad said the decline in mobile phone subscribers of certain telcos amid a tariff hike, is an economic indicator on how despite a growing demand for use of data services, owing to popularity of mobile internet, states and UTs have been losing mobile subscribers.
Meanwhile, on a national level also state-owned BSNL pipped Bharti Airtel in terms of new mobile customer addition after nearly a year, and Reliance Jio continued to lead the chart in August, according to data published by telecom regulator TRAI on Monday. The number of total telephone subscribers in the country increased to 122.45 crore at the end of August from 122 crore in July The growth was driven by the new net customer addition of 35.19 lakh in the mobile segment. India's telecom sector added 35.19 lakh new subscribers in August, taking the total user base to 1,167.03 million, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. India's broadband subscribers in August stood at 989.58 million.
Reliance Jio continues to dominate the market, adding 19.49 lakh wireless subscribers in August. With nearly 41.08% market share in mobile services, the company remains a key driver of growth in the sector and a bellwether for telecom-focused investors. Bharti Airtel reported a net addition of 4.96 lakh mobile subscribers. The telco also maintained its wired subscriber base with an addition of 1.08 lakh subscribers and more than 22.72% market share. The state-run BSNL has reversed some of the lost subscribers from last month as it saw an addition of 13.85 lakh subscribers in August. MTNL, however continued to bleed subscribers. Public sector telcos now account for less than 8% of the mobile subscriber market.
