TRAI reveals Jio is the only Indian telco in growth

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its monthly report on the state of play in India, and it’s a pretty gloomy picture for everyone aside from Jio.

Across the country, the message is relatively positive. Wireless subscriptions have grown once again this time by 2.4 million, not as glorious as previous months but growth is still growth, but to add a slight dampener to proceedings, broadband declined, this time by 70,000 subscriptions. Once again we reiterate the fixed broadband segment is one which is bursting with opportunity.

Sustained growth in India, while commendable, is not necessarily an interesting development as we have been saying the same thing for more than 18 months. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is who is capturing the additional subscriptions. Stating Jio has collected the lions share will surprise no-one, but September saw everyone else shrink.

Reliance Jio has now firmly established itself in second place in the market share rankings, which has been a long-time coming, though it is starting to make genuine in-roads against Bharti Airtel. Each month new figures are released and while Bharti might have been able to maintain its position, recent figures have shown the eroding impact of Jio.

The issue for those who are trying to resist the Jio revolution is what is around the corner. Jio has made no secret of its plan to capitalise on the ridiculously low broadband penetration across the country, and you have to wonder what will happen when a more established network can be developed. The company recently purchased controlling stakes in Den Networks and Hathway Cable, offering it a foot through the door, though expect some big developments over the coming months.

Predicting what will happen is a simple task; Jio will take the same low-cost approach to broadband as it has with mobile, though the potential of a convergence product portfolio could further pile the misery onto competitors. How many customers might be tempted to switch over to Jio’s mobile proposition when a cheap broadband bundle is thrown in as well? This is what will be the most interesting development.

Jio has done an absolutely wonderful job of revolutionising the Indian digital economy, but what can be done on the fixed broadband side of things remains to be seen. Just as the story is starting to become repetitive, Jio is about to start on a new chapter.