Increasing remarkably, the Indian wireless market signed up another 10.07 Million subscribers in September 2008 due to lower tariffs, low handset prices and regulatory reforms.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), mobile telephone operators of India have gained 10.07 Million subscribers in September this year, the steepest rise since March this year when 10.16 Million subscribers were added, as per the news published by reuters.
India, the second largest wireless market after China and the fastest growing market of the world, recorded 315.31 Million subscribers at the end of September 2008. Bharti Airtel, the topmost operator, took its user base to 77.48 Million by adding 2.7 Million new users. The second largest operator, Reliance Communications, added 1.76 Million users to expand its subscriber base to 56.05 Million. Finally, managed by Vodafone Plc of Britain, Vodafone Essar took its users tally to 54.62 Million by signing up 1.87 Million users.
The soaring number of mobile users in India can be attributed to the speedily expanding market on account of lower tariff rates and declining prices of the handsets due to the highly competitive market. Also, new mobile operators are giving a strong fight to the established operators by reducing the tariffs.
Moreover, the declining number of landline connections in India has also boosted the number of mobile subscribers in September 2008. Further, the advanced technology of handsets is also luring the Indian consumers.
Additionally, the regulatory reform has contributed significantly towards the growth of Indian telecom market. The extensive improvements introduced by the successive governments in the past decade have radically changed the face of Indian telecom sector.
Further, the current growth is also supported by the shift in Access Deficit Charge regime, Unified Licensing adoption, rising of sharing of infrastructure and the expanding reach of operators in the new regions.
According to a Research Analyst at RNCOS, “The regulatory and structural reforms that are being introduced in the market are inducing the Indian telecom market to grow further. The mobile industry, now penetrating into the rural market, is unlikely to witness a downturn in the near future. Also, the auction of 3G spectrum should occur soon. Thus, India can undoubtedly be regarded as the most active and rapidly growing telecom market of the world.”
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