For the first time, cell phones are ringing louder in Circle A states than in the metros.
The combined subscriber base of Circle A states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, touched 4.6 million in April, against 4.58 million in the metro circles.
This is mainly because of the inroads made by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd in semi-urban and rural areas with its CellOne brand.
As per figures released by the Cellular Operators' Association of India on Tuesday, the subscriber base of the country expanded by 640,000 users to touch 13.3 million in April, against 12.68 million in March 2003. This is a 98.6 per cent surge year-on-year.
With nearly 2.8 million subscribers, BSNL is now the second largest cellular operator in India, following Bharti Cellular's 3.1 million. Communications Minister Arun Shourie has set a 100-day target for BSNL to become the number one cellular operator in the country.
Industry experts said BSNL's growth had opened new markets, even for private cellular operators. However, in terms of revenue, Bharti's average is higher compared to BSNL.
In regard to individual centres, Delhi and Mumbai still boast of the highest number of cellular subscribers at 1.85 million and 1.73 million users, respectively.
The number of cellular subscribers in the Circle B states, comprising Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has moved up from 3.37 million in March to 3.6 million in April.
The subscriber base in the Circle C states of Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and the Northeast moved up from 508,632 mobile users to 546,731 in April.
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