COAI’s report shows an increase in the All-India user base by 5.5 mn

COAI, the association of mobile telephony service providers in the country, released the October GSM subscriber numbers today that said the number of subscribers grew to 791.62 mn in October, a jump of 5.55 mn subscribers compared to the previous month. The telecom industry has been witnessing a steady growth was recorded in net subscriber additions from 2.09 mn in August to 5.55 million in October.

Among telecom companies, Bharti Airtel continued to hold on to the pole position in October, adding another 2.33 mn additional subscribers during the month to take its total subscriber base to 262.67 mn mobile subscribers. Followed closely by Vodafone with 201.90 mn subscribers and Idea Cellular with 180.25 mn subscribers. With 33.13%, Bharti Airtel owns the maximum market share in the industry.

The report, which also assesses the growth of mobile subscribers across various circles in India, said UP East added the maximum number of subscribers (72.46 mn) in October. Maharashtra came second with 67.45 mn mobile subscribers, with Bihar coming a close third with 67.41 mn subscribers. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh leads in the number of new additions with 0.77 mn new subscribers in the month.

Talking about the growth in the subscriber base, Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI, said, “Our aim is to connect every corner of the country. It is heartening to see more cities mounting a sizeable mobile customer base, thereby inspiring us to develop mobile infrastructure in these regions. We hope to keep up this momentum of growth so we can rapidly move closer to attainment of Government’s vision of fully connected Digital India.”

He added, “Connecting citizens translate into empowering citizens, as the mobile is a great enabler of new opportunities. We strive towards this enabled society where every individual gets the chance to partake in the economic growth of the country.” The mobile is a giant leap for a mankind and it is instrumental in bridging the digital divide and moving India towards a truly equitable and democratic inclusive nation in every sense of the word.