India adds 14.38 mn wireless users in July

A whopping 14.38 million wireless subscribers were added by mobile operators in July this year, taking the total wireless user base to 441.66 million in the country.

According to data released by telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), about 14.25 million telephone connections, including wireline and wireless, have been added during the month compared to 11.91 million connections added in June 2008. A total of 12.03 million wireless subscribers were added in June.

With this, the overall tele-density in India has reached 41.08 against 39.86 in June 2009, it added.

While the total wireless -- GSM, CDMA and WLL(F)-- subscriber base stood at 441.66 million in July, the wireline connections declined by 0.13 million to 37.41 million during the month.

The broadband subscriber base reached the 6.80 million million mark. India's mobile user base rose 25 times in the last five years and research firm Gartner expects it to touch 737 million by 2012.

With call rates as low as US 1 cent a minute and network expansion by operators have pushed the pace of growth in India's mobile subscriber base, which is increasing by more than eight million a month.