| Indian Mobile Market Surpassed the Targeted Subscribers |
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| Tuesday, 09 October 2007 | |
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The boom in the Indian mobile telecom market is still going on with the subscriber base in the country exceeding the targets set by the government well ahead of its schedule. The subscriber base in the wireless market in India, the world’s fastest growing telecom market, reached another milestone when it surpassed 200 Million subscribers in August 2007. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released figures to The Economics Times showing an additional 8.3 Million wireless customers, including CDMA, GSM, and cellular (wireless) in WLL (F) or local loop (fixed), thus taking the total number of subscribers to nearly 201.3 Million in August 2007. The wireless segment is the major contributor to the growth that added 8.31 Million subscribers in August 2007 from 8.06 Million in the previous month. The addition took the total wireless subscriber base inclusive of GSM and CDMA to over 201 Million. The original target set by the government for 200 Million mobile subscribers by the end of 2007 was therefore achieved 4 months ahead of schedule and in little more than a year of exceeding the magical 100 Million figure in May last year. Another target for total phones (both fixed and mobile) of 250 Million is also imminent. The growth is believed to be mainly due to the growing middle class as well as rapid privatization of key industries. Another key reason for the prospering mobile market in India is the policy of greater quantity at lesser cost. The fact that mobile phones are now being purchased by Indian villagers is an evidence of the boom in mobile services in the countries with the poor populations. Unhindered growth continues in the Indian telecom market. Smaller towns and rural areas are already pushing the demand for mobile services. In comparison to a teledensity of nearly 30% in urban areas, it is barely 2% in the rural areas, thereby indicating huge scope for growth. The Indian government is aiming an industry target of half a billion cell phone subscribers by the year 2010. The entry of Vodafone into the market with a majority stake in Hutch makes it even more likely. As per a research analyst at RNCOS , “The Indian mobile market is presenting a unique prospect when compared to the developed countries where mobile services are mostly complimentary services as most businesses and homes have access to fixed-line telephone services. But in India, mobile telephony is more of an alternative to fixed-line services, which only adds to the appeal of the Indian telecom market” Related Market Research Reports: |
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