India’s GSM operators added 4.41 million subscribers in September, a 0.65 per cent rise from the previous month, increasing their total user base to 678.82 million. In comparison, the GSM operators had added a meagre 1.78 million new users in August.
Idea Cellular topped the charts in subscriber addition during the month adding 1.207 million users. The GSM operator’s subscriber base rose to 127.23 million, and ranked third with an 18.74 per cent market share, according to data released by Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI).
In terms of telecom circle, Uttar Pradesh (East) had the maximum of 59.31 million users during the month.
Vodafone India came in second with a user addition of 1.205 million during the month under review. The Indian unit of British telecom major Vodafone Plc ranked second with a market share of 22.91 per cent.
Bharti Airtel added 1.16 million users during the month. However, the company maintained its leadership position with a 28.49 per cent market share and a total of 193.39 million subscribers.
Aircel, in which Malaysia’s Maxis Communications holds a majority stake, added 642,799 users. It had a total of 63.25 million subscribers and a 9.32 per cent market share as of September 30.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) lost 231,150 users during the month. The company with operations in just two circles – Mumbai and Delhi – had a total of 3.61 million users.
Uninor added 102,186 users taking its total to 32.36 million, while Videocon added 314,780 users during the month under review. The numbers does not include Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices, who straddle both GSM and CDMA technologies.