GSM telcos add 11mn new subscribers in April

The all-India GSM cellular subscriber base has touched 433 million with the addition of 11.18 million new users in April, according to cellular operators' association COAI.

Bharti Airtel, the number one GSM operator, added three million new users, which took its total subscriber base to 130.6 million, data from the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) showed.

Rival Vodafone Essar, UK-based Vodafone's India unit, added 2.9 million subscribers during the month, which pushed up its customer base to 103.8 million, it said.

Bharti is the market leader, with a 30.16 per cent market share.

In March, GSM operators added around 14 million subscribers around the country.

Idea Cellular added 1.5 million users in April, taking its subscriber base to 65.3 million, while Aircel -- in which Malaysia's Maxis owns a majority stake -- added 1.6 million customers to reach the 38.5 million-mark.

State-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL registered 1.25 million and 33,217 new users respectively, which took their subscriber base to 64.7 million (BSNL) and 4.8 million (MTNL).

The COAI data excludes RComm figures.

India is one of the most attractive and rapidly growing mobile telephony markets in the world. There are 15 operators operating in this fastest growing wireless market and approximately 14-15 million mobile (GSM and CDMA) new users are added every month.