Mobile usage outpacing network capacity: CRISILBS Reporter / Mumbai September 27, 2007Even as Indian telecom players make huge investments to keep pace with the rapid growth in subscriber numbers, poor quality of service (QoS) is a rapidly emerging concern.An analysis by CRISIL Research reveals that the number of base stations installed by Indian mobile service providers is inadequate to provide high-quality services to the rapidly growing population of subscribers.Indian subscribers, on an average, tend to talk 50% more than those in the rest of the world - the average minutes of use (MoU) in India, at 475 minutes per subscriber per month, is around 1.5 times the world average. Compare this to China's 270 minutes and the global average of 320 minutes of usage.However, the number of base stations per million subscribers in India is only 25% higher than the global average. The cost of setting up base stations varies. If set up on roof tops, they could cost anywhere between Rs 10-Rs 15 lakh. If set up on the ground, they would cost between Rs 30-Rs 40 lakh.The number of base stations that an operator has is a crucial determinant of network performance in any environment. Shortfalls in respect of most external factors, such as spectrum, can be overcome by installing more base stations.
