The top 10 telecom companies in India comprise a large and ever-expanding industry in the country with huge revenues generated annually and massive base of customers. According to sources in the telecommunication industry in India, there were more than 1,200 million telecom and mobile subscribers in India by the beginning of 2018. As handsets and call rates continue becoming lower, the market share of telecom companies in India is likely to keep growing owing to growing population and globalization. India is considered one of the largest telecom market in the world and there are many large mobile network companies in India. In addition, the competition between the best telecom companies in India is expected to keep growing as call prices get lower and most of the telecom sector companies in India offer high bandwidth data to attract more customers and expand the market share of telecom companies in India.
The telecom sector companies in India are thriving since the past decade since the emergence of many upcoming telecom companies in India. The top 10 mobile networks in India collectively provide telecommunication service to more than 1,000 million subscribers across the country. Furthermore, the telecommunication industry in India has a mix of Indian and international mobile network companies in India with Airtel being regarded the no 1 telecom company in India. The best telecom brands are invested heavily in expanding their market share of telecom companies in India by broadening their coverage areas and using highly effective marketing strategies. Also, since the introduction of 4G network in India, the consumers of the best telecom companies in India can access hi-speed connectivity and connect faster to the virtual world across the globe. The upcoming telecom companies in India will further add more competitiveness to one of the largest telecom markets in the world.
Market Competition in the Indian Telecom Industry
The Indian telecom sector is becoming more competitive each year. With the launch of new Reliance Jio, Vodafone-Idea partnership, Bharti Airtel buying Telenor India, and Aircel filing for bankruptcy, the game is now only for big players in the market. The merger between Vodafone India and Idea cellular is most awaited deal in the Indian telecom sector, which may come into place before 2019. The changing consumer base and increase the use of the internet will also play an important role in the Indian market. Who will be the top 10 telecom companies in India in the coming years will be based on many of these market scenarios.
List of Top 10 telecom companies in India
1. Airtel
Airtel is considered the best telecom companies in India with a subscriber base of than 270 million all over the country. Airtel, the no 1 telecom company in India also has the largest network coverage in the country. This top telecom brands in India was founded in 1995 by Sunil Mittal and this best telecom sector company in India has its headquarters in New Delhi, India. This top 10 telecom companies in India was estimated to have a revenue of around $15 billion in 2017 with more than 25,000 employing serving this biggest telecom company in India.
2. Idea
Idea is another top 10 telecom companies in India with a market share of telecom companies in India worth around $5 billion in 2017. This best telecom companies in India has a national subscriber base of around 200 million which accounts for roughly 18% of the total market share of telecom companies in India. This top 10 mobile networks in India was established in 1995 by Kumar Mangalam Birla at Mumbai, India and has wide network coverage across the country. This top telecom companies in India has the highest share of MNP for the telecommunication industry in India.
3. Vodafone India
Vodafone is one of the best telecom companies in India and is part of the Vodafone UK group which is the second largest telecom company in the world. This top 10 telecom companies in India was founded in 1994 with a merger between Hutchison and Essar groups. This is one of the best telecom companies in India is headquartered at Mumbai, India and is regarded as one of the top 10 mobile network in India with high-quality service and bandwidth. This leading telecom brands in India has a subscriber base of more than 200 million customers and had an annual revenue of around 6.6 billion in 2017.
4. BSNL
BSNL is also one of the top telecom companies in India with a significant market share of telecom companies in India. This best telecom companies in India in the comprehensive list of top 10 telecom companies in India has a presence of more than 20 telecommunication circles across the telecommunication industry in India. This leading telecom brands in the world was established in 2000 at New Delhi, India and has more than 100 million subscribers across the country. Furthermore, the revenues of this top mobile network companies in India is worth almost $5,100 million in 2017.
5. Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications is another top 10 telecom companies in India with a wide network coverage across India, one of the largest telecom market in the world. This top 10 mobile network in India was founded in 2002 by Anil Ambani and the head office is located in Mumbai, India. As of 2017, the annual revenue of this is one of the top telecom companies in India was valued at $3.5 billion with a large consumer base of over 12 million. This leading telecom sector company has more than 7,000 employees with network base in all the 22 mobile circles in the country.
6. Aircel
Aircel was a leading telecom sector companies with more than 80 million subscribers all across the country. This top 10 telecom companies in India always held a ranking in the list of top telecom companies in India before this best telecom company in India filed for bankruptcy. This top mobile network companies in India was founded in 1999 by Chinnakannan Sivasankaran and was headquartered at Gurgaon, Haryana. This telecom brands in India had a revenue of around $1.5 billion before running into losses due to stiff competition in the telecommunication industry in India and having to file for bankruptcy in February 2018.
7. Jio
Jio is a top 10 telecom companies in India and regarded as one of newest entrants to the largest telecom market in the world. This upcoming telecom company in India was founded in 2010 by Mukesh Ambani and the head office is located at Navi Mumbai, India. This best telecom companies in India has around 140 million subscribers and offers one of the lowest call rates among the top telecom companies in India. Jio holds more than 10% market share of telecom companies in India and has an annual revenue of around $800 million.
8. Tata Teleservices
Tata Teleservices is a leading telecom brand in India and has more than 60 million consumers for its top 10 mobile networks in India. This top telecom sector companies in India was founded by Ratan Tata in 1996 and is headquartered at Mumbai, India. This mobile network companies in India also offers landline and broadband services across many parts of the country. Tata Teleservices has an annual revenue of around $490 million and has more than 2,000 retail outlets across the country.
9. Telenor India
Telenor India is one of the no 1 telecom company in India and is a major upcoming telecom company in India. This top telecom company in India was previously known as Uninor when it was launched in 2009 and is headquartered at New Delhi, India. The founder of this best telecom brands in India is Sharad Mehrotra and has over 40 million subscribers with more than 4,000 employees. This leading mobile network companies in India has recently been acquired by the Bharti Airtel group in September 2017 and has discontinued services in 7 mobile circles across the country.
10. MTNL
MTNL is a 100% government owned top 10 telecom companies in India and the only wholly state-owned telecom sector companies in the list of top 10 telecom companies in India. This top telecom company in India was founded in 1986 at New Delhi, India and is currently chaired by Pravin Kumar Purwar. This best telecom companies in India has around 4 million subscribers and this one of the biggest telecom company in India offers IPTV, landline, and broadband besides mobile network. This best telecom company in India has an annual revenue of around $2 billion.
Future Direction of the Top 10 Telecom Companies in India
The telecommunication industry in India ranks as the second largest telecom market in the world with over 1.2 billion subscribers in 2017. The top 10 telecom companies in India offer one of the lowest call rates in the world owing to high competition in terms of pricing and quality of network services. The telecom sector companies in India are estimated to be contributing almost 7% to the GDP of the country which amounts to almost $180 billion and the telecommunication industry in India is believed to directly employ more than 2 million professionals across the country. The growing population in the country, rising disposable income, and lower voice call tariffs are likely to augment the revenue of the top 10 telecom companies in India for the next five years. Furthermore, the telecom brands in India are forecasted to contribute around $240 billion to the economy of India by the end of 2022.
