Telecom subscriber base rise 1.94% during April-June

Fresh additions mostly came from the rural areas, contributing 91.30% of total addition during the period

Telecom subscriber base in India has grown to 965.52 million at the end of June, a 1.49% increase from 951.34 million till quarter ended March 2012, according to a statement by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Overall teledensity reached 79.58 as till June 30, 2012.

Fresh additions mostly came from the rural areas, contributing 91.30% of total addition during the April-June quarter, though the growth rate in the rural areas dropped to 3.91% from 4.91% during the past quarter. New connections in urban areas grew just 0.20% during the quarter, stated the TRAI statement.

Monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) from GSM service dropped by 1.94% to Rs 95 during the April-June quarter from Rs 97 in the previous quarter. For CDMA, ARPU has declined by 0.5% to Rs 74.9 in the April-June quarter.

During the quarter under review, gross revenue and adjusted gross revenue of telecom service sector increased to Rs 52,512.10 crore and Rs 35,499.01 crore respectively, representing growth of 6.64% in gross revenue and 3.02% in adjusted gross revenue as against the previous quarter, stated TRAI.

Private direct-to-home (DTH) operators added 48.45 million subscribers between April and June. There are six private DTH operators, besides Doordarshan.