APRIL 20249TOP STORIESJIO CROSSES 100M 5G USERS, AIRTEL AT 75MReliance Jio is estimated to have surpassed the milestone of 100 million pure 5G subscribers by the end of March, while its closest competitor, Bharti Airtel, ended the fiscal fourth quarter with nearly 75 million 5G users. These figures reflect the rapid nationwide deployment of 5G networks by both telcos, according to sources familiar with the matter.Ookla, a networks testing and analytics firm, highlighted that Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have been instrumental in driving the adoption of 5G in India by swiftly expanding their 5G coverage across the country.Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel did not respond to queries from ET regarding these figures.Affandy Johan, an industry analyst at Ookla, emphasized that India's aggressive deployment of 5G infrastructure has elevated the country's position in terms of providing fast 5G median download speeds.An executive from Airtel mentioned that the com-pany's recent partnerships with device manufacturers, such as Poco, to introduce affordable 5G devices priced below 10,000 have contributed to the growth of its 5G user base, which now stands at around 75 million.Recent data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) indicates that Airtel added more active mobile users than Jio in January 2024. However, Jio attracted more high-value 4G and 5G users compared to Airtel during the same period. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea (Vi) continued to experience declines in both active mobile users and 3G/4G users. NHAI ENFORCES ONE VEHICLE, ONE FASTAG POLICYThe National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has implemented the 'One Vehicle, One FASTag' norm, which aims to discourage the use of a single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple FASTags to a specific vehicle. This initiative came into effect on Monday, following an extension of the compliance deadline to March-end due to issues faced by Paytm FASTag users.According to a senior official, multiple FASTags for one vehicle will no longer be operational, and individuals with multiple FASTags for a single vehicle will not be able to utilize all of them from April 1.The objective of the 'One Vehicle, One FASTag' initiative is to improve the efficiency of the electronic toll collection system and ensure smooth movement at toll plazas. This initiative aims to streamline toll collection processes and prevent misuse of FASTags.Additionally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had previously advised customers and merchants of Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) to transition their accounts to other banks by March 15.FASTag, operated by NHAI, is an electronic toll collection system in India that has achieved a penetration rate of approximately 98 percent with over 8 crore users. Utilizing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, FASTag enables toll payments directly from linked prepaid or savings accounts, simplifying the toll payment process for motorists.
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