According to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Vodafone India led the rural market with 82.24 million subscribers in March 2013.
Bharti Airtel followed closely, with 82.16 million rural subscribers.
As per COAI, Vodafone India added 4.9 million rural customers between February and March 2013. Bharti Airtel added 2.57 million customers, while Idea Cellular added 2.75 million users during the same period.
During the period under consideration, Vodafone India net a higher number of rural customers in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan by offering users a mix of customised product launches focusing on voice and data.
Also, between January and March 2013, GSM operators collectively added over 10 million rural customers. As on April 1, 2013, the total GSM customer base in rural India stood at 262.53 million.
Further, as of March 31, 2013, Bharti Airtel continued to be the market leader with a total subscriber base of 188.20 million with a market share of 28.47 per cent. Vodafone India’s total subscriber base for the period under review stood at 152.35 million with a market share of 23.05 per cent.
As on April 1, 2013, the total telecom GSM subscriber base stood at 660.94 million.
