Voda Idea's decline in 4G subscriber base in Q1 could compound its worries

For telcos speed with which they can grab or upgrade more customers to 4G has been the key for improved ARPUs, especially when tariffs have been stable for over 18 months except for some recent tweaks

Post Q1 result announcement, a reason for concern emerged for Vodafone Idea Ltd in the form of its falling 4G subscriber base. The telco, which declared its quarterly results for Q1FY22 on Saturday, has seen its 4G subscriber base shrink, despite its efforts to upgrade the 2G subscribers so that it can improve average revenue per user (ARPU).

According to data, VIL’s 4G subscriber base fell by 1 million in Q1FY22 to 113 million over the previous quarter. The company has always hoped that even while its 2G subscriber base was falling sharply, quarter on quarter, its 4G customers were