Vodafone Idea shares slide over 6% amid subscriber losses in December

Vodafone Idea shares declined over 6 percent in intra-day trading on Wednesday after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) reported a loss of 1,715,975 wireless subscribers for the company in December 2024. In contrast, rival telecom players Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel continued to expand their subscriber base. Reliance Jio gained 3,906,123 new wireless subscribers, while Bharti Airtel saw a net addition of 1,033,009 subscribers during the same period.

According to the Trai report, Vodafone Idea had a total of 126.38 million subscribers, including both wired and wireless connections, as of December 31, 2024. Reliance Jio led the industry with 476.58 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 289.31 million. Other players such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam and Atria Convergence Technologies had 35.33 million and 2.27 million subscribers, respectively.

Market Share and Broadband Trends

Reliance Jio continued to dominate the broadband services market, holding a 50.43 percent share at the end of December 2024. Bharti Airtel followed with a 30.62 percent share, while Vodafone Idea accounted for 13.37 percent.

Meanwhile, total telephone subscribers stood at 1,187.15 million in November. Wireline tele-density in India saw a marginal increase from 2.73 percent to 2.79 percent. On the wireline front, Reliance Jio topped the charts by adding 656,823 new subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 162,945 and Tata Teleservices with 9,278 new additions.

Total broadband subscribers in India witnessed a slight increase, rising from 944.76 million in November to 944.96 million in December. However, rural telephone subscriptions saw a slight decline, falling from 527.27 million to 526.56 million during the same period. Wireless subscribers grew from 1,148.65 million in November to 1,150.66 million in December, reflecting a monthly growth rate of 0.17 percent.

Stock Performance Under Pressure

Vodafone Idea’s stock fell as much as 6.4 percent to an intra-day low of ₹6.87. The stock has suffered a steep decline of over 64 percent from its 52-week high of ₹19.15, recorded in June 2024.

Over the past year, Vodafone Idea shares have dropped nearly 47 percent. In March 2025 so far, the telecom stock is down 7 percent, following a 16.5 percent decline in February. However, the stock had gained 14 percent in January before resuming its downtrend.

With subscriber losses persisting and intense competition from Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea continues to face headwinds in maintaining its market position. The company's stock remains under pressure as investors monitor its ability to reverse subscriber losses and improve financial performance.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.