NEW DELHI, INDIA: India's telephone customer base has crossed the 50 crore mark 15 months ahead of the target, according to the official figures.

As on September 30, 2009, the number of telephone subscribers in India has touched 509.03 million, with nearly 15 million subscribers being added in the month.

The government had forecast India would touch 50 crore subscriber base by the end of 2010, but it crossed this level in September, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) figures showed.

"The set target of 500 million telephones by the end of 2010 has been achieved by September 2009," the regulator said in a statement on its website.

Wireless subscriber base increased by 3.28 per cent from 456.74 million in August to 471.73 million at the end of September.

China is the only other country that has reached this milestone.