GSM net-adds surged to 8.9mn in Jan-15 from 8.2mn in Dec-14; Bharti saw an increase of over 1mn net adds m-o-m, while Voda reported 0.3mn increase. This was partly offset by m-o-m decline in Idea?s and Uninor?s net adds, by 0.35mn each. On a combined basis, Top-3 [BVI] contributed 6.8mn (78%) to overall Jan net-adds, compared to 5.8mn (71%) in Dec. [Note: BSNL/RCOM/TTSL are yet to report their GSM net-adds for Jan]
Airtel's net-adds were its highest after nearly four years. Idea/Voda reported net-adds of 2.2mn/1.8mn in Jan. Among regional telcos, Uninor reported c.30% m-o-m decline in net-adds, driven by lower-adds in all but two of its six circles. Bihar and UP-East were the best performing circles?they together accounted for 30% of January net-adds.
