Number of new telecom subscribers dips in April

1 Jun 2009, 1321 hrs IST, PTI on www.economictimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Indian telecom industry saw a dip in the number of new subscribers in April - 11.75 million telephone connections were added, compared to 15.87 million in March, an official statement said here Monday.

The number of telephone connections reached 441.47 million in April from 429.72 million a month before, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement.

Overall tele-density reached 37.94 from 36.98.

The total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA and wireless local loop-fixed) base stood at 403.66 million with addition of 11.90 million subscribers in April, the statement said.

Additions to the number of wireless subscribers also dipped after reporting a record 15.64 million new connections in March.

In the wireline segment, the subscriber base decreased 0.15 million to 37.81 million in April from 37.96 million.

However, the number of broadband subscribers grew from 6.22 million to 6.28 million.

Additional story in The Hindu Business Line on 02 June 2009

Telephone subscriber growth rate dips in April

New Delhi, June 1 Telecom operators reported a dip in telephone subscriber growth rate with 11.75 million new users in April compared with 15.87 million in March.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the total number of telephone connections reached 441.47 million at the end of April compared with 429.72 million in March. With this growth, the overall tele-density has reached 37.94 per cent.

The dip in subscriber growth rate was primarily due to a slow down in the uptake of cellular usage. The total wireless subscribers — GSM, CDMA & WLL-F — base stood at 403.66 million. A total of 11.90 million wireless subscribers have been added during April against 15.64 million added during March.

In the wireline segment, the subscriber base has decreased to 37.81 million in April against 37.96 million in March, registering a slight decrease of 0.15 million.

According to market watchers, the dip in subscriber base may be because operators clean up their list of subscribers who may have given up their connection but they continue to show as a user. This usually happens in the months of March-April.

The total broadband subscriber base reached 6.28 million by April-end compared with 6.22 million in March.