Cellphone users grow by 10.2 mn in H1

The controversy over mobility turf notwithstanding, the Cellular and WLL mobile services have added 10.2 million users in first half of the current financial year, about five times of 2.14 million in the year-ago period.

"The growth rate during first half of the year over the base on the beginning of the financial year works out to 80 per cent against the figure of 30 per cent in corresponding period last year. If the same growth rate is maintained, the NTP 99 targets of teledensity of seven per cent by 2005 is likely to be met by December 2003, 15 months ahead of NTP 99 targets," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement in New Delhi.

TRAI said the total additions to cellular and WLL combined during April-September 2003 stood at 10.20 million, which is around five times the addition of 2.14 million users during the corresponding period last year.

This takes the combined base of cellular subscribers and WLL subscribers to over 23 million.

During the first six months of the current financial year about 5.70 million cellular and 4.48 million WLL mobility and 0.02 million fixed line subscribers were added, making it a total of 10.20 million additions.

During September 2003, about 0.9 million cellular subscribers and 0.82 million WLL mobility subscribers were added as compared to 1.09 million cellular subscribers and 0.68 WLL subscribers in August 2003, it said.