Reliance Jio emerged as the leader in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for the March 2024 quarter, reporting Rs 25,330.97 crore. Bharti Airtel, on the other hand, experienced the most significant AGR growth during the same period. According to a report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Thursday, Reliance Jio’s AGR increased by 10.21% year-on-year, reaching Rs 25,330.97 crore from Rs 22,985 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Airtel’s AGR surged by 13.25% to Rs 20,951.91 crore in the March 2024 quarter, up from Rs 15,500.36 crore in the same period last year. Vodafone Idea, despite experiencing losses, saw a marginal 2.22% year-on-year increase in AGR, reaching Rs 7,370.75 crore from Rs 7,210.63 crore. State-owned telecom companies BSNL and MTNL, however, recorded declines in AGR, with BSNL’s AGR falling by 4.41% to Rs 1991.61 crore and MTNL’s AGR dropping by 13.78% to Rs 156.61 crore.
On a broader scale, the telecom service sector experienced a 3.01% year-over-year growth in gross revenue for the March 2024 quarter, reaching Rs 87,926 crore. The AGR for the sector witnessed a more substantial increase of 9.25% during the same period. The government’s revenue from licence fees (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) collected from telecom service providers surged by over 10% year-on-year, reaching Rs 6,506 crore. The Trai Performance Indicator Report for the March 2024 quarter stated that the telecom sector’s gross revenue (GR), applicable gross revenue (ApGR), and adjusted gross revenue (AGR) stood at Rs 87,926 crore, Rs 83,945 crore, and Rs 70,462 crore, respectively. The report further highlighted that the year-on-year growth rates for GR, ApGR, and AGR in the March 2024 quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year were 3.01%, 6.76%, and 9.25%, respectively.
In terms of specific revenue streams, licence fee collection increased by 9.28% to Rs 5,637 crore in the March 2024 quarter compared to Rs 5,159 crore in the March 2023 quarter. The SUC, on the other hand, saw a 15.11% year-on-year increase, rising from Rs 755 crore to Rs 869 crore. This data provides insights into the financial performance of the telecom sector, highlighting the growth trends, revenue collection, and the relative performance of major players in the market.
