Vi likely to retain market share going ahead

Survival Battle

- URVI MALVANIA

WITH VODAFONE IDEA'S active subscriber loss moderating and net addition of data subscribers in December 2024, the struggling telco is likely to retain subscriber market share more effectively, according to analysts.

The telco, which is gearing up for commercial 5G launch this quarter, added 1.6 million data customers in December against a decline of 0.7 million users in the previous month, according to monthly subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) earlier this week.

In the same month, rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio saw flat movement in data subscriber base, which analysts said suggests normalization of respective user base.

During its December quarter earnings call, Vodafone Idea chief executive Akshaya Moondra had noted that the telco is seeing momentum in data subscriber addition as it expands and upgrades its 4G network, and prepares to launch its 5G services.