NEW DELHI: New subscriber additions by India's mobile phone industry surged
about 27 per cent in June from the previous month, reversing a two month slide,
mainly on account of a fall in call charges.
Data released by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) showed on
Wednesday that the industry, expected to be among the world's fastest growing
mobile markets this decade, added 349,082 customers in June, sharply up from
275,393 subscribers in May.
"The numbers appear to have risen due to a reduction in tariffs in some
markets," COAI's director general T V Ramachandran told Reuters. "On
the face of it the market is still depressed because of the new rules imposed by
the government."
New additions fell three percent in May and by a much sharper 28 per cent in
April after the government began requiring prepaid card users, the growth engine
within the sector, to provide proof of identity and all cellphone owners to file
tax returns.
At the end of June, India's cellular user base stood at 7.34 million
connections, an 80 per cent year-on-year rise.
(C) Reuters Limited.