India to become world's 2nd largest wireless market

India is set to become the world's second largest wireless network, ousting US to the third slot, by April.

China tops the global ranks with over 540 million wireless customers in February 2008, followed by the US with 260.50 million and India with 250.93 million.

However, monthly additions are likely to change that order. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) the US is adding 2 to 3 million subscribers a month, half China's 6 to 7 million, both of which are considerably lower than India's monthly addition of 8 to 9 million.

Trai also projects that in April India will meet another landmark, hitting 300 million subscribers, both wireless and wireline.

Trai states that 8.49 million telephone connections have been added during February 2008 against an addition of 8.74 million connections in January 2008 thereby taking the total number of telephone connections to 290 million at the end of February 2008.

Meanwhile, 8.53 million wireless subscribers were added in February, taking the total wireless subscriber base including GSM, CDMA and fixed wireless and local loop to 250 million.