“2007 Asia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in India” finds that India continues to be one of the fastest-growing telecom markets in the world with growth continuing into this year at an almost 90% rate. The report notes that the booming telecoms market saw total revenues of $22.4 billion in 2006, and this year, when the country marks six decades of independence from the British, early estimates have put the total worth of India's telecommunications sector at nearly US$100 billion.
India began its economic liberalisation programme in 1991, and by 1994 moves had been made to opening the telecom market to privatisation. Regulatory reform has been vital to the telecommunications sector’s development, and after several initial hiccups, adoption of Unified Licensing and a change in the Access Deficit Charge (ADC) regime have contributed to the mega-growth seen.
By 2002, the mobile sector was showing 10 million subscribers. Authors of the report say that by the end of this year, the Ministry of Telecommunications is looking at about 250 million connections and mobile coverage for 85% of the country's geographical area. There has been a special emphasis on targeting the majority of India’s population which lives rurally.
Low tariffs and plummeting handset prices are key factors that have contributed to the phenomenal success of the industry. Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) has been India’s technology of choice, and dominates the mobile market. But Code Division Multiple Access technology (CDMA), long seen as a poor second choice, dug its heels in in 2006 and cornered 30% of the market early in the year.
While India has rapidly taken to talking on the mobile phone, its uptake of broadband internet has been a direct contrast. While India’s internet market has seen a clear growth, the country’s move to broadband has been distinctly slow. While the consumer base for dial-up connections has been steadily increasing since 1999, broadband only saw a significant surge in 2006 expanding its subscriber base by 200% to reach two million subscribers. Still, that figure represents broadband penetration of just 0.2%.
The new study looks at foreign investment in the sector, the regulatory environment and relevant Indian policies. It profiles both the major national and international operators, and details the national infrastructure.
“2007 Asia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in India” is available from Report Buyer. For more information go to:
http://www.reportbuyer.com/
Report Buyer product ID: BUD00121
