Is Vodafone Idea's loss a gain for Jio and Airtel? Centre releases latest mobile subscriber data

Embattled telecom provider Vodafone Idea lost more than 5 lakh wireless mobile subscribers in March 2025 alone, according to official data published by the Government of India. In contrast, market leaders Jio and Airtel gained significant ground.

 

Reliance Jio, with 40.60 per cent of the market share, led the table in March 2025 after gaining 21.7 lakh subscribers. In contrast, Bharti Airtel gained 12.5 lakh net wireless subscribers for the month, driving its market share to 33.69 per cent.

 

A significant chunk of Airtel's and Jio's gains via MNP seem to have come from Vodafone Idea (Vi), which shed 5.41 lakh wireless subscribers in March 2025. Despite this, Vi held 17.75 per cent of the market.

 

State telecom service provider BSNL added 49,177 net wireless subscribers for the month, gaining some ground. BSNL's market cap at March-end stood at 7.87 per cent.

 

The other PSU operator, MTNL, shed more than 2000 subscribers, with its market share shrinking to 0.09 per cent.

 

According to the Centre, total wireless subscribers inched 0.25 per cent up month-on-month to 1,15.6 crore by end of March 2025 (versus 115.4 core at Feb 2025-end). Out of this, urban subscriptions only increased by 0.06 per cent, while rural mobile subscriptions rose by 0.49 per cent. 

 

The service provider data indicated more trends, including Vi losing ground in the telecom space, especially in Southern states.

 

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Kolkata saw a dip in wireless mobile subscribers for March 2025, according to official data. However, all other service areas across the country showed significant growth. 

 

It remains to be seen how Vi would arrest the shed of mobile subscribers, especially after the Centre recently increased its stake in Vodafone Idea (Vi) to 48.99 per cent after converting ₹36,950 crore of spectrum payment dues into equity.

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