Airtel subscriber additions plunge as Jio gains despite ARPU growth
Airtel's subscriber growth slowed sharply after scrapping a low-cost daily plan, while rival Jio expanded its user base.
Airtel's subscriber growth slowed sharply after scrapping a low-cost daily plan, while rival Jio expanded its user base. Published 2026-11-09 by Falling Shares.
| By Falling Shares Intelligence, edited by Wung Thomas, Editor-in-Chief
Written by Falling Shares Intelligence, our automated newsroom, from the public sources listed below and live market data. Every figure is checked against that material before publication, but the story has not been reviewed by a human editor. Check the linked sources before relying on it, and report errors to info@fallingshares.com.
Airtel’s subscriber additions plunged as rival Jio gained ground, following the telecom operator’s decision to scrap a low-cost entry-level plan on 12 August. The removal of the plan, which offered a daily data limit of 1GB, left the ₹349 option as the cheapest entry point, providing 1.5GB of data per day.
Plan removal hits growth
Airtel removed its lowest-cost entry plan on 12 August, ending the option that provided users with a daily data limit of 1GB. The move left the ₹349 plan as the company's cheapest entry-level offering, which supplies 1.5GB of data per day. Mint reported that subscriber additions plunged in the period following this change.
The reduction in low-cost options coincided with a loss of momentum in user growth. While average revenue per user (ARPU) continued to grow, the overall number of new subscribers dropped significantly. This shift occurred while rival carrier Jio was simultaneously gaining subscribers.
Competitive pressure mounts
The report highlights a divergence in performance between Airtel and its main competitor. While Airtel struggled with subscriber numbers, Jio expanded its user base during the same period.