India to reach 600 million mobile connections by 2011, according to study

Mobile phone connections in India will reach 600 million in five years time as handsets and tariffs become more affordable for the urban population, according to a new study published today by the Centre for Telecoms Research (CTR), London

[ClickPress, Fri May 04 2007] Mobile phone connections in India will reach 600 million in five years time as handsets and tariffs become more affordable for the urban population, according to a new study published today by the Centre for Telecoms Research (CTR), London

The report expects urban populations of India to reach high levels of mobile phone saturation in five years time, to the extent where many phone users will have two or more handset connections. A large portion of this growth will arise from pre-paid connections, driven by the increasing affordability of handsets and tariffs amongst India's lower middle classes.

“The phenomenal growth in the Indian mobile phone market has largely been driven by urban consumption. We expect this to continue with urban geographies achieving saturation levels similar to current Western European markets in the next five years. Mobile connections in rural geographies will be constrained by coverage of network infrastructure and affordability of handsets which will limit consumption to no more than 150 million by 2011,” said Raj Modi, Research Director at Centre for Telecoms Research.

The report India Mobile Market Statistics, 2002-2011 also expects mobile phone users to spend more on mobile data services driven largely by the popularity of Bollywood mobile content (e.g. Ringtones, Icons etc ).

For further information or interviews please call Raj Modi, Research Director, Centre for Telecoms Research, on 0044 (0) 7930 383436 or email raj@centrefortelecomsresearch.com

A copy of India Mobile Market Statistics, 2002-2011 is available to purchase online for $500 (approximately £250) at www.centrefortelecomsresearch.com

Centre for Telecoms Research (CTR) is an independent London-based research consultancy providing insight into fixed, mobile and internet telecommunications markets across international geographies. It is our commitment to serve the international telecommunications community with accurate, informed and comprehensive market intelligence to aid strategic and investment decisions.

“Centre for Telecoms Research” and “CTR” are trading names of Centre for Telecoms Research Limited, registration no. 5974817.

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