The International Herald Tribune
India adds record 6.6 million mobile phone subscribers in October The Associated Press Published: November 12, 2006
NEW DELHI: Cellular phone subscribers rose in India by a record 6.6 million in October, keeping the country's place as the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market, according to data released over the weekend.
Subscribers for the GSM network grew by 4.7 million in September, while the number of mobile phone subscribers using CDMA technology increased by 1.9 million.
The Cellular Operators Association of India, which includes mobile phone companies offering services on the GSM network, said the country now has about 96 million GSM-based phone connections.
CDMA phone service providers say they now have about 40 million subscribers.
The total number of mobile phones in the country stands at about 136 million at the end of October.
However, India still lags far behind China, which has more than 420 million mobile phones — the most in the world.
T.V. Ramachandran, chief executive of the Cellular Operators Association of India, said New Delhi topped Indian cities with just over 10 million subscribers.
The introduction of mobile services in India in the 1990s coincided with a period of rapid economic growth. Intense private sector competition, coupled with falling tariffs and ease in getting a connection, led to a surge in subscriptions.
India has one of the world's lowest revenue rates for mobile phones.