Wireless subscriber base grows 68 pc in March

New Delhi, Apr 23: The wireless services subscriber base at the end of March this year stood at 166.05 million as compared to 98.78 million in the same month last year, registering a growth of 68 per cent.

The month added 3.53 million wireless subscribers as against 6.21 million subscribers in February this year, figures released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said here today.

''This lower growth in March can be attributed to insistence by the government to ensure verification of subscribers,'' the telecom regulator said.

In the wireline segment, a total of 0.40 million subscribers were added during March'07 as compared to a decline of 0.02 million in February'07.

With this, the total subscriber base of wireline reached 40.78 million in March as against 41.54 million in March last year, registering a decline of 1.82 per cent.

The total telephony subscriber base (wireless and wireline) added 66.51 million subscribers during-fiscal 2006-07 to stand at 206.83 million at the end of the fiscal, an increase of 58 per cent over 2005-06.

During March alone, the subscriber base grew by 3.93 million.

The teledensity was 18.31 per cent at the end of March'07 as compared to 12.80 a year ago.

Broadband connections posted a growth of 70 per cent to touch 2.30 million at the end of March as compared to 1.35 million last year.

The broadband subscribers were 2.21 million in February last, thus adding 0.09 million subscribers in the month of March, the TRAI figures said.

UNI