Bharti Airtel continues to lead the market with 29.80% market share: COAI

According to the new reports by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel continues to lead the market with 29.80 percent market share, adding another 1 million subscribers during September, taking total subscriber base to 282.04 million.

The report shows that India's private telecom service providers have a total of 946.66 million subscribers, while Airtel is closely followed by Vodafone India Ltd, which stands at 207.44 million, while Idea Cellular Ltd stood at 190.15 million subscribers at the end of September.

Rajan Mathews, Director General, COAI said that: "The increase of subscribers in Kerala, Haryana, and Gujarat shows that there is still room for basic services to grow and expand to the corners of the country. The steady investment in infrastructure in these regions is showing the positive result. The industry is reeling under a cumulative debt of over Rs 4.6 lakh crores."

The industry further needs an additional investment of over Rs 2.5 lakh crore for infrastructure rollout and expansion, especially in the far-flung areas of the country, " he added.

As per the report, UP (East) circle emerged as the top circle with total 83.46 million subscribers, where Maharashtra remained at second position with 79.20 million mobile subscribers. Maharashtra was followed by Bihar with total 76.15 million subscribers.

In terms of growth percentage of new additions, Kerala and Haryana led with 0.69 percent and 0.37 percent respectively, followed by Gujarat with 0.14 percent growth in September 2017

Mobile connectivity and data services have played a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide and moving India towards a truly equitable and democratic nation. The telecom industry, therefore, deserves an urgent and immediate intervention to encourage policy and regulatory stability, and facilitate growth, innovation, and investment in the sector, Rajan added.