RCom aims to cross 100 mn mark by year end

MUMBAI: With plans to increase the number of subscribers by one third to 100 million by the end of this year, Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications is looking at climbing on to top position among the world's top five mobile phone operators.

According to the Financial Times, the company has clocked a record increase in subscribers during the first quarter after it had launched its GSM network in India. The plans to be on top could mean that Reliance Communications would be on par with major telecom players such as Vodafone, China Mobile and China Unicom, as well as Indian company Bharti Airtel.

The company is currently the seventh-largest operator in the world with about 75 million subscribers.

The growth of India's mobile service players throws light on the steady and fast rise in fortunes in the country's telecom marketplace. With 350 million subscribers, India has overtaken China as the fastest-growing mobile market, adding more than 10 million subscribers each month.

Reliance Communications has, during the past three months, added 11.3 million subscribers, of which close to 9 million belonged to the GSM network The company which has been over the period looking at organic growth had unveiled its GSM network in 11,000 cities and 200,000 villages.

It also boasts of a successful CDMA network. The FT report added that Reliance had last year tried to merge with South Africa's MTN in a deal that would have been worth up to $40 billion. However, with older brother Mukesh scuttling Anil's plans threatening legal action as part of the ongoing family feud, the plans had to be stalled.