The total number of mobile subscribers in India has increased to 981.65 million. According to the report released by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the total amount of mobile subscribers in India’s private telecom service providers is currently pegged at 981.65 million. The data is based on the month ended December 2017 and it includes statistics collected from Reliance Jio and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) as reported by TRAI.
According to the report, Airtel continues to be in the top position with a market share of 29.55 percent. The company has added half a million customers during December 2017 and the overall subscriber count is around 290 million.
Vodafone is also very much in the race and occupies the second spot with 212.53 million subscribers. The report states Idea Cellular has a total subscriber count of 196.50 million and the company has added new customers by providing attractive offers. As per the report, Idea Cellular has the highest number of subscribers over the month ended October 2017. Among the circles, UP (East) continues to occupy the top position with 85.23 million subscribers followed by Maharastra with 82.19 million mobile consumers.
Commenting on the report, Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI disclosed that mobile connectivity has been their prime focus for a long time. The vision is to provide quality connectivity across India. They are indeed happy to find a huge spike in the consumer growth in various cities. Mathews added that the body is optimistic about fulfilling the objectives of Digital India with efficient connectivity.
He added that the telecom industry plays a vital contribution to boost Indian economy and to achieve the target growth. The industry is working in close partnership with Government to implement several projects such as Digital India and Make in India. The benefit of mobile connectivity should reach all parts of the country and not few select regions.
The optimum growth of mobile and landline connectivity will help in bridging the digital divide of the country to a large extent. Mathews said that the industry is expecting soaps in the Budget 2018 to drive the mobile connectivity to the next level without compromising the service providers.
From our point of view, Reliance Jio has also attributed to the growth of the mobile industry by introducing several new plans at budget prices in a transparent way. By providing frequent cashback offers, the company has managed to retain consumers.
