Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecom operators, has once again solidified its position as the industry leader with the highest percentage of active subscribers. According to the recent report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), as of April 30, 2023, Bharti Airtel outshines its competitors, including BSNL, Vi, and Jio, in terms of the Proportion of Visitor Location Register (VLR) data. This article explores the significance of VLR and highlights Bharti Airtel’s continued dominance in the telecom market.
Understanding Visitor Location Register (VLR):
Visitor Location Register (VLR) serves as a temporary database that stores information about subscribers who are currently within a specific area served by a particular base station. Each base station is associated with one VLR, ensuring that a subscriber is only present in one VLR at a time. VLR data reflects the number of active users on a telecom network, providing insights into subscriber engagement and network utilization. Higher VLR percentages indicate greater active usage of a telco’s subscriber base.
Bharti Airtel Leads with Highest VLR Percentage:
According to TRAI’s report, Bharti Airtel maintains its position as the top telco with the highest VLR percentage across 18 out of 22 circles. The company has only relinquished the top spot in Assam, where Jio holds a marginal 1 percent lead. Jio, on the other hand, secures the top position in three circles: Assam, Kolkata, and the North East. However, the difference in VLR percentages between Jio and Airtel remains negligible.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) manages to secure the top spot in only one circle, Himachal Pradesh, with a VLR percentage of 111.29. Airtel closely follows with a VLR percentage of 99.67, underscoring its competitive position.
Key Circles:
Analyzing specific circles, Bharti Airtel demonstrates its leadership in VLR percentages in key areas such as Delhi and Mumbai. In Delhi, Airtel holds the top position with a VLR percentage of 96.04, followed by Jio with 89.06 and Vodafone Idea with 62.89. Similarly, in Mumbai, Airtel leads with 87.52 percentage, followed by Jio with 83.29 and Vodafone Idea with 70.92.
Gujarat is another stronghold for Airtel, where it showcases its strength with the highest VLR percentage of 110.41, outperforming Vodafone Idea with 94.73 and Jio with 90.89.
BSNL and MTNL Performance:
State-owned operators BSNL and MTNL face challenges in keeping up with their counterparts, as they record the lowest VLR percentages in the industry. This highlights the need for these operators to improve their customer engagement and network utilization.
Overall VLR Percentage:
When considering the overall VLR percentage across all circles, Bharti Airtel maintains its lead with an impressive 99.81. Jio follows closely behind with 93.99, while Vodafone Idea secures a percentage of 88.57. BSNL and MTNL occupy the lower end of the spectrum with VLR percentages of 51.73 and 27.52, respectively.
Bharti Airtel’s consistent position as the telco with the highest percentage of active subscribers underscores its strong customer engagement and robust network utilization. As the telecom market continues to evolve, Airtel’s ability to retain its leadership position reflects its commitment to delivering quality services and maintaining a loyal subscriber base.
