In Short:
In January 2024, over 12.36 million Indians requested to switch their phone number from one telecom operator to another using the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) system. Most requests came from Vodafone Idea (Vi) and BSNL users. However, not all requests result in actual porting. Jio and Airtel gained the most users, while BSNL and Vi lost subscribers. Airtel and Jio also saw growth in active users compared to BSNL and Vi.
12.36 Million Indians Requested to Port Their SIMs in January 2024
Over 12.36 million Indians requested to port their SIM from the existing operator to another telecom operator in the country in January 2024. Consumers have the right to utilise the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) system to port their existing phone number to the other telecom operator’s network. It is a simple process that a person has to follow to port their SIM cards.
Key Statistics from TRAI Data
According to the TRAI data published in the monthly performance indicator report of January 2024, a total of 12.36 million MNP requests were received by the telecom operators in India. Out of this, around 7.12 million requests came from Zone-1 and the remaining 5.24 million requests came from Zone-2.
MNP was first implemented on November 25, 2010, and since then, a total of 939.55 million MNP requests have been made. In the coming months, it is expected to touch the billion requests figure.
Impact on Telecom Operators
Zone-1 includes the Northern and Western India while Zone-2 includes the Southern and Eastern India. Most of the users lost by Vodafone Idea (Vi) and BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) during the month, leading to the assumption that most of the MNP requests came from their subscribers.
Note that MNP requests do not always result in actual porting. Some users make the request but then decide to stay with their current operator. As per TRAI data, Jio added the most wireless users to its subscriber base, followed by Airtel. BSNL and Vi continue to lose subscribers and market share to Bharti Airtel and Jio.
In terms of active users, only Airtel and Jio saw growth while BSNL and Vi experienced a decline in numbers.
