Record number of mobile users added in March

Buoyed by the entry of new telecom players and entry of Reliance Communications in the GSM space, the Indian telecom industry clocked the highest subscriber-addition in a month, by adding 15.87 million subscribers in March 2009. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, (Trai), while the wireless (GSM, CDMA and WLL (Fixed)) segment witnessed addition of 15.64 million users, the wireline segment saw an increase for the first time in two years, by adding 230,000 to its subscriber base.

At the end of March, the wireless subscriber base stood at 391.76 million as compared to 376.12 million in the previous month of the year. The wireline subscriber base grew to 37.96 million as compared to 37.73 million in February 2009.

On a year-on-year basis, however, the wireline segment witnessed a decline of 3.7 per cent from 39.42 million in March 2008.

This growth has lead to an increase in the total telecom teledensity (number of people having a telephone connection per 100 )to 36.98 per cent at the end of March 2009 from 35.65 per cent in February this year.

Broadband penetration in the country is also witnessing a steady increase. The total broadband subscriber base crossed the 6 million mark, to reach 6.22 million by the end of March 2009, as compared to 5.85 million by the end of February 2009.

With its foray in the GSM space, Reliance Communications led the subscriber growth in the wireless segment with the addition of 3.02 million subscribers in March, to take its wireless subscriber base to 72.66 million.

In the wireless segment Bharti Airtel led the subscriber growth with addition of 2.73 million subscribers in December to take its wireless subscriber base to 82.9 million. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) came in second with a total of 2.9 million subscribers resulting in a subscriber base of 52.14 million. Meanwhile Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar added 2.8 million customers each to take their subscriber base to 93.92 million and 68.76 million respectively. Tata TeleServices added about 1.25 million subscribers to about 35.12 million subscribers.