India added 8.53 Million mobile subscriptions last year and by the first half of April, it is going to become the world’s second largest wireless subscriber base, says TRAI.
According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with the addition of 8.53 Million mobile subscriptions in February 2008, India crossed the 250 Million mark in terms of mobile subscribers. Now it is all set to become the country with second largest wireless network worldwide after China in the first half of April this year, as reported by Timesofindia.
TRAI also announced that the country hit 290.11 Million telephone connections in February 2008 against 281.62 Million recorded in January 2008. Consequently, the tele-density also increased from 24.63% in January 2008 to 25.31% in February 2008. In the wireless segment alone, 8.53 Million subscriptions were added in February against 8.77 Million people subscribed in January 2008. Hence, the total wireless subscription reached 250.93 Million through the end of February 2008.
The demand for mobile phone is continuously growing as the mobile adoption rate has improved in the rural India. Moreover, mobile is changing the economic and social life in rural areas, creating growth opportunities for small enterprises and enhancing the social network among people. The boom in wireless telecom industry is mainly driven by low-income groups as the handsets and call rates are the lowest in the world.
Besides, new and beneficial mobile technologies like mobile TV, Wi-Fi, mobile tracking through Global Positioning System (GPS), and many other technologies are drawing customers, persuading them to buy mobile phones. Furthermore, broadband usage is explicitly growing as the outsourcing industry including KPOs and BPOs flourishing, increasing the sales of Internet-enabled mobile phones.
Indian economy, one of the fastest growing economies, is creating employment and improving the financial status of people in the country. Additionally, mobile phone has assumed the symbol of a status and therefore, more and more people are going for it. Adding to it is the craze of mobile phones among Indians as some possess more than one mobile.
