Indian Subscriber Base Continues Strong Growth

India's subscriber base for telephony services has continued to grow strongly during August 2003. Cellular operators added 1.09 million subscribers during August 2003, thus maintaining the one million plus growth for the second consecutive month. CDMA based WLL subscribers have also maintained the growth trend and around 0.68 million new subscribers were added in August 2003 as against 1.2 million in the previous month. In comparison the growth in the wireline subscribers' base during August 2003 is lower at 38,000. WLL (Fixed) subscribers increased by 76,000 in August 2003. Thus, the subscriber base for fixed lines increased by 1,14,000 in August 2003.

The combined additions of Cellular, WLL and Wireline subscribers during the month of August 2003 being 1.9 million, almost maintains the unprecedented trend of 2 million additions/ month for telecom subscribers in the previous month.

The total addition to subscriber base for Cellular and Basic Services together in the first 5 months of the current year (2003-04) works out to around 8.6 million, compared to the level of additions for these services being 2.49 million subscribers for the corresponding period last year- a jump of about 3.5 times.

If a similar growth trend is maintained during the year, the total addition to subscriber base during the year is projected to exceed 20 million, taking the gross subscribers base of Cellular and Basic services beyond 70 million by next March."

Posted to the site on 16th September 2003