According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the total telecom user base in the country is expected to reach 1,042 million by March 2013.
As per CMIE’s monthly report, despite an increase in the total telecom subscriber base, the number of new wireless subscribers for the financial year 2013 is expected to decline by nearly 14 per cent. CMIE adds that compared to 107.6 million new wireless subscribers added in financial year 2012, operators are expected to add only 92.7 million new users in the next financial year (2013).
According to CMIE, the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) has also impacted subscriber numbers. At the end of June 2012, over 54.3 million uses opted for MNP.
CMIE has also stated that while urban teledensity stands at 169 per cent, teledensity in rural areas is only 40.6 per cent. In this context, rural areas present lucrative business opportunities for operators, in terms of increasing their subscriber base and growing their market share.
On the other hand, CMIE expects the fixed line segment to continue to decline.
