(Associated Press via NewsEdge) India added a record 6.2 million mobile phone subscribers in September, making it one of the world's fastest growing markets for cellular phones, according to the latest industry data.
GSM carriers added 4.4 million subscribers in September, while mobile connections based on the CDMA technology increased 1.8 million.
The Cellular Operators Association of India, which includes mobile phone companies offering services on the GSM network, said the country had 91 million GSM-based phone connections as of Sept. 30. The trade body for CDMA service providers said their subscribers rose to 38 million at the end of September.
The data from the two trade bodies showed India now has 127 million mobile phone connections.
Mobile operators 'are delighted at the continued upswing in the subscriber additions,' said T.V. Ramachandran, the chief executive at the Cellular Operators Association of India.
The introduction of mobile services in India in the 1990s coincided with a period of rapid economic growth. Intense private sector competition, coupled with falling tariffs and ease in getting a connection, led to a surge in subscriptions.
India has one of the world's lowest revenue rates for mobile phones.
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