India overtakes US to become second largest wireless network

New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) With the total wireless subsribers base touching 261.09 million in March, India has become the world's second largest network, overtaking the US.

India now stands behind China, which has about 530 million subscribers. China added 23.9 million subscribers, up to the last quarter of 2007, while India added 25.3 million subscribers during the same period.

Comparing their subscriber count to the US's 252 million subscribers and population of 300 million, both India and China have vast market potential with their one billion-plus population.

A total of 10.16 million wireless subscribers have been added in the month of March this year as against 8.53 million wireless subscribers added in the last month, telecom regulator TRAI said in a statement.

Altogether 10.40 million telephone connections (Wireline and Wireless) were added during March 2008 as compared to 8.49 million additions during the previous month.

The total number of telephone connections reached 300.51 million at the end of March 2008 as compared to 290.11 million in February 2008.

The overall tele-density stood at 26.2 per cent at the end of March this year as against 25.31 per cent in February 2008.

In the wireline segment, the subscriber base has increased to 39.42 million in the month of March 2008 as against 39.18 million subscribers in February 2008.

UNI MP SR AS1731