India’s telecom industry showed mixed results in October 2024. While wireless subscribers decreased, wireline and M2M (Machine-to-Machine) connections experienced growth, according to the latest data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Decline in wireless subscribers
India’s total number of wireless subscribers dropped from 1,153.72 million in September to 1,150.42 million by the end of October, a decline of 0.29%. Both urban and rural areas saw reductions. Urban wireless subscribers fell from 628.12 million to 625.56 million, and rural subscribers decreased from 525.60 million to 524.86 million. This resulted in a drop in India’s overall wireless tele-density from 82.07% to 81.77%.
Private telecom providers continued to dominate the wireless market, holding 91.78% of the market share, while state-owned BSNL and MTNL had just 8.22%. Despite some regions like Mumbai and Karnataka showing growth, most areas saw a decline in wireless subscriptions.
Growth in wireline and M2M connections
In contrast to wireless, wireline subscriptions saw positive growth. The total number of wireline subscribers rose slightly from 37.78 million in September to 37.79 million in October, a 0.31% increase. This growth indicates continued demand for fixed-line services.
M2M (Machine-to-Machine) connections also grew, increasing from 54.64 million to 56.12 million. Bharti Airtel led the M2M market with 29.08 million connections, holding a market share of 51.82%.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests also saw an increase, with 13.45 million requests processed in October. Uttar Pradesh-East and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of MNP requests.
This shift in India’s telecom landscape reflects a growing preference for more reliable and stable services like wireline and M2M, especially as the demand for data and connectivity continues to rise. The increase in wireline subscribers indicates that consumers are increasingly turning to fixed-line services for high-speed internet and stable communication, which are essential for businesses and households alike. Additionally, the rise in M2M connections reflects the growing adoption of connected devices and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies.