While India’s fixed broadband growth is plodding along, 3G mobile subscribers are growing at a breathtaking pace, according to a new study.
TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database also showed that the number of customers signed up to 3G mobile services skyrocketed 400% between March 2010 and March 2011, reaching 12.2 million. This growth is particularly impressive in light of the fact that 3G services were only introduced in 2009, and 3G service has only become widely available from multiple providers in recent months.
Indeed, growth has accelerated as 3G coverage and competition has increased, with subscribers increasing by an astonishing 73% in the first quarter of 2011. The number of customers signed up to 3G mobile services skyrocketed 400% between March 2010 and March 2011, reaching 12.2 million.
This growth is particularly impressive in light of the fact that 3G services were only introduced in 2009, and 3G service has only become widely available from multiple providers in recent months. Indeed, growth has accelerated as 3G coverage and competition has increased, with subscribers increasing by an astonishing 73 % in the first quarter of 2011.
Fixed broadband services in India have grown at a steady, but unspectacular, pace since their introduction in 2003. Providers had signed up 11.5 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter of 2011, up 31% from a year earlier. Nevertheless, Indian broadband penetration stands at only 5% of households. In contrast, 34% of Chinese households have broadband access.