Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), once a leader in India’s fixed broadband market, has experienced a steady decline in Wi-Fi subscribers over recent years. According to a written statement by Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, BSNL’s Wi-Fi subscriber base stood at 4,06,600 as of March 31, 2024. This marks a sharp drop from the 10,92,650 subscribers reported at the end of March 2020.
Despite the decline in Wi-Fi users, BSNL overall wired broadband subscriber count saw a rise, reaching 4.23 million by September 30, 2024, compared to 3.71 million a year earlier. However, these figures present a mixed picture when juxtaposed with BSNL’s continued loss of market share in the wireline segment.
As per TRAI data, BSNL holds a 16.61% market share in wireline subscribers, while its sister PSU, MTNL, accounts for 5.61%. In contrast, private players like Reliance Jio dominate with a 40.61% market share, followed by Bharti Airtel at 25.24%.
The rise of private telcos has intensified competition, with Jio and Airtel aggressively deploying optical fiber networks to expand their reach. While BSNL offers competitive broadband plans with OTT bundles, it struggles to keep pace with private operators’ network expansion and marketing strategies, despite its pan-India presence.
BSNL’s Wi-Fi subscriber base grew steadily until 2020, coinciding with the disruptive market entry of Jio in 2016. However, since 2020, the state-run operator has consistently lost ground, underscoring the challenges it faces in retaining customers amidst a rapidly evolving telecom landscape.
