Indian telecom is surging. Day after day there's a growth in the sector registered, primarily driven by mobile companies. Unlike their brotherhood elsewhere in the world, Indian operators have been adding numbers of subscribers month after month at a much rapid pace. For the month ending March 2009, Indian GSM operators sort of created a new record by generated additional 10.84 Million (source: COAI) of new subscribers to their mobile services crossing a Magic figure of 10 million mark.
You wondering??? Not me. I just looked around... Till few months back I had a single cell phone but recently I got one more cellular number... you'd think why? Well I use my mobile a lot for official work and it was an easy solution for me to get another number for my personal use. But it's not just me it's in a lot what I see around. I have a colleague who's just about a year into work flaunting two mobile numbers... I have a cousin, a few years in a small business carrying two mobiles... I know this person who is a receptionist with a small Hospital, doesn't mind keeping two of these ever beeping devices handy... And the least that actually I expected, my chauffeur who likes to carry with him 'Double Mobile'...
Well, I am not really attributing this surge in mobile subscribers to the ones having multiple cellphone connections, I was just observing around. I am actually talking about a number of those for whom this mobile has become a lifeline, an nondetachable, inseparable part of their lives. It has become a terrific support for their livelihood. My vegetable & fruits vendor takes orders on cellphone and does a home delivery and prevents me for visiting supermarket often. My maid gives me a missed call if she is getting late to come to work and I have a cabbie who prefers me to give him a call on his mobile whenever my chauffeur bunks so I can be dropped to office...
Actually, top down penetration of this ubiquitous cell phone in the Indian society has been the primary driver for the Indian telecom growth story. And the potential continually remains tremendous for the country with a teledensity of about 35% currently. Do you believe that Indian operators have one of the lowest ARPU in the world and still they are making money? Well the MoU across the country across the operators have gone up significantly. Read more...
Ask them slowdown? And they will shrug it off...what slowdown? This word doesn't exist in their dictionary...
Indian telecom growth story will continue for many years to come as there's a huge potential to be tapped. There's so much to say and I can keep writing on this for hours but I guess, I need to hold on here...
In the days to come I will be sharing many of my experiences from the deepest roots of India. C ya soon.
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