GSM operators add 12.4 mn new users in Sept

The total number of GSM-based mobile phone users in the country has gone up to 494 million with the addition of 12.4 million new users by telcos in September, according to new data released by an industry body.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a body representing GSM operators in the country, said total subscriber additions in September were less than in August, when total user additions stood at 13.5 million.

Of these, state-run BSNL registered 2.3 million subscriber additions, the highest amongst all the telcos during the period, taking its total user base to 72.6 million.

New operator Uninor garnered the second highest number of new users in September, taking its base to over 11.2 million in the 13 circles where its services are commercially available.

Uninor added 2.17 million new subscribers in September.

Bharti Airtel witnessed the addition of 2 million users during the month, taking its total subscriber base to 143.2 million, while Vodafone Essar's subscriber base soared by 1.7 million to 115.5 million at the end of September 2010.

Aircel and Idea Cellular added 1.6 million and 1.4 million new users, respectively, during the month. Another state-run telco, MTNL, saw its user base expand by 35,146 subscribers.

In the month of August, 2010, GSM operators added around 13.5 million new subscribers, taking their total user base in the country to 481.6 million.

The COAI data excludes Reliance Communications, as the company reports its numbers separately.

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is the most popular standard for mobile telephony systems in the world. In India, about 12 telecom operators offers services on this platform.

The other technology platform on which Indian telcos offer services is CDMA, with players such as Tata Teleservices, Reliance Communications and MTS as the main service providers.