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India Telecom Market Now A Duopoly Between Jio And Airtel Says Ex CEO Sanjay Kapoor
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CNBC TV18•14-10-2026, 12:39
India Telecom Market Now A Duopoly Between Jio And Airtel Says Ex CEO Sanjay Kapoor
  • •Former Airtel CEO Sanjay Kapoor states that India's telecom market has matured into a de facto duopoly dominated by Jio and Airtel, each holding about 40 percent market share.
  • •Kapoor highlights that rising data consumption, AI adoption, and higher monetisation will drive the next phase of growth for both operators.
  • •Reliance Jio focuses heavily on scale and data consumption, whereas Airtel targets premium customers and higher average revenue per user.
  • •India's leading telecom firms boast some of the highest incremental EBITDA margins globally, making them prime beneficiaries of future tariff adjustments and data demand.
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Key Questions Answered

According to former Airtel CEO Sanjay Kapoor, both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel each command around 40% market share, effectively turning India's telecom sector into a duopoly.

Reliance Jio remains primarily focused on scale and heavy data consumption, whereas Bharti Airtel specifically targets premium customers, postpaid subscribers, and higher average revenue per user (ARPU).

Growth will be driven by rising data usage fueled by artificial intelligence applications, richer content formats, and increased monetisation through pricing strategies rather than relying strictly on subscriber growth alone.

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