June active user additions led by Metro, A circles: Jefferies

New Delhi: The rise in active subscribers for June, following strong gains in May, were led by additions in Metro and A circles, comprising the country’s larger cities, said a report, which added that the gains offset losses in smaller cities and towns.

“(Active) Subscriber additions were led by Metros (1.5 million) and A Circles (2.4 million), which account for around 45% of the sector's subscriber base; however, B Circles (0.5 million) and C-circles (0.8 million) witnessed subscriber decline,” brokerage Jefferies said in a report.

Market leader Reliance Jio, with 2.4 million and Bharti Airtel, with 1.2 million, led active subscriber additions, while debt-laden Vodafone Idea’s fell 0.2 million, the 19th straight month of losses. The industry added 2.7 million active subscribers in June, having added 7.3 million in May.

Active or VLR data, indicates the number of mobile users regularly using a mobile network.

“This is the fourth straight month of Jio's outperformance over Bharti,” said Jefferies. “Jio's continued outperformance versus Bharti on active subscriber additions augurs well for the sector's overall tariff outlook.”

Over the past 12 months, Jio's active subscriber market share has increased by 130 basis points (bps) to 43%, driven by 180 bps market share gain in B Circles and 130 bps in A Circles. Bharti Airtel's active subscriber market share moderated by 40 to 36% as its market share gains in Metros have been offset by market share decline in B & C Circles. Vi’s share has fallen by 180bps to 16%, driven by Metro, A & B circles.

Overall as well in June, Jio gained well over twice the number of wireless subscribers – 1.9 million - than its nearest rival Bharti Airtel – 763,482, while cash-strapped Vi and state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) continued to cede ground, losing 217,816 users and 305,766 users, respectively.

“Subscriber additions concentrated in a few markets. Bharti gained subscribers in Metros and A Circles and lost subscribers in B and C Circles,” said Jefferies, adding that India’s second largest telco’s subscriber addition was concentrated in circles such as Gujarat, Maharasthra, Mumbai and West Bengal, where its market share is lower compared with its overall market share.

It however lost active users in Bihar, Kerala, Rajasthan and UP (E).

“Reliance Jio gained subscribers in Metros, A & B Circles and lost subscribers in C-circles. Jio's subscriber addition was concentrated in Gujarat, Mumbai UP (W) and West Bengal, while it recorded losses in Assam, MP, Rajasthan and Orissa,” the brokerage said.

It added that while Vi has continued to lose active subscribers, the pace of decline has moderated, with the company losing only 4 million during the first half of 2025, “In June, VIL lost active subs in 14 out of 22 circles, reflecting continued pressure on subscriber retention. (But) VIL's 4G subs increased by 0.7 million month-on-month after increasing by 1.0 million in May.”

The industry added 22.3 million active users, which reflects “strong subscriber growth potential”, Jefferies added.

It said that the sector's mobile number portability (MNP) requests remained elevated at around 14 million in June, “possibly as users continue to shift between operators post tariff hikes…higher churn usually drives up dealer commissions/SG&A expenses for telcos.”