India to become 2nd largest mobile phone market: TRAI

New Delhi, Mar 24 (UNI) Telecom watchdog TRAI today said the country is likely to become second largest mobile phone market in the world, after China, by next month.

The total number of wireless customers in the country touched 250.93 million in February this year, as compared to 260.50 million subscriber base in the US and 540.50 million for China.

The US is adding about 2-3 million subscribers in a month where as China is adding around 6-7 million subscribers per month.

The country's monthly wireless subscriber addition is highest in the range of 8-9 million a month.

''Thus India's wireless subscriber base during the first half of April 2008 will surpass that of US and will become second largest wireless network in the world,'' TRAI said in a statement.

Not only this, the country's total subscriber base, including both wireless and wireline, will also cross 300 million mark in April 2008.

In the wireless segment, 8.53 million subscribers have been added in the month of February 2008 as against 8.77 million subscribers addition in the previous month.

The total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA&WLL(F)) base stood at 250.93 million at the end of February 2008.

In the wireline segment, the subscriber base has slightly decreased to 39.18 million in the month of February 2008 as against 39.22 million subscribers in January 2008.

Total 8.49 million telephone connections have been added during February 2008 as compared to 8.74 million connections added in January 2008.

The total number of telephone connections reached 290.11 million at the end of February compared to 281.62 million in January. The overall tele-density is 25.31 per cent at the end of February compared to 24.63 per cent in January.

Total broadband subscribers base reached 3.47 million by the end of February compared to 3.24 million by the end of January, TRAI said.

UNI MP BJR RS1721