Image for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: KRISHNAN VV
Reliance Jio leads the wireless subscriber market in 12 of India’s 22 telecom circles, while Airtel dominates nine. This leaves Vodafone Idea as the leader in just one circle — Kerala.
In the north-eastern and Jammu and Kashmir circles, Airtel leads the market, with around half of the subscribers choosing the provider. In Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, and Himachal Pradesh, Airtel leads with a market share of 40–50%, while in Tamil Nadu and Punjab, it leads with a share of less than 40%.
In Madhya Pradesh, Reliance Jio has a wireless subscriber market share which is close to 55%. In Kolkata, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, and Rajasthan, Reliance Jio leads with a market share of 40-50%, while in Uttar Pradesh (East and West), Mumbai, Delhi and Haryana, it leads with a share of less than 40%.
The graphic shows the wireless subscriber market share in the last decade (2014-2024) across select telecom circles in select states
With a market share of 32%, Vodafone Idea is leading in Kerala. However, its market share in the State has sharply declined from the nearly 54% it had in 2015.
Kerala is the most fragmented market with all the four players — Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL — holding over 20% of the wireless subscribers each. In fact, it is the only State where the State provider crossed the 20% mark.
Over the years, the market shares of Vodafone Idea and BSNL have declined sharply from their respective peaks across most States, creating a duopoly in recent years. In contrast, Jio and Airtel have reached their peak market share across most States, with very few exceptions.
The graphic shows the wireless subscriber market share in the last decade — 2014 to 2024 — across select telecom circles.
Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
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Published – January 30, 2025 07:00 am IST