Research and Markets: India Telecommunications Report Q3 2010

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d45e06/india_telecommunic) has announced the addition of the "India Telecommunications Report Q3 2010" report to their offering.

This India Telecommunications Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, telecommunication associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on India's telecommunications industry.

Our Q3 2010 update on India's telecommunications market contains updated forecasts for the country's mobile and 3G subscriber markets, as well as the internet user and broadband subscriber sectors. Our new update also contains a revised forecast for Indian mobile average revenue per user (--) rates. Our forecasts and market analysis sections make full use of new data published by the operators and India's regulatory authority, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), for the end of 2009 and the first three months of 2010.

The latest data show that India's mobile customer base had risen to 584.3mn at the end of March. This reflected the addition of 59.2mn new customers in the first three months of the year, equivalent to quarterly growth of 11.3%. By the end of March, India's mobile penetration rate had risen to 49%. Although the number of Indian mobile users continues to decline, the sectors operators have been consistently reporting a fall in ARPU rates. As long as the sector remains dependent on low-spending prepaid users, the decline in ARPU will continue.

One recent development with significant implications for India's mobile sector is the issuance of 3G mobile licences, a process that was finally completed in May. After 34 days of bidding, it was announced that seven of the nine operators that had successfully applied to take part in the sale process came away with 3G licences, although no single operator was able to lay claim to a pan-India concession, with the most that any cellco managed to win being frequencies in 13 of the country's 22 telecoms circles. Meanwhile, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced that the auction had raised more than double the expected amount for the government.

Among the new 3G licensees is India's largest mobile operator by subscribers, Bharti Airtel. Mobile market rivals Reliance Communications (RCom), Aircel, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices, Vodafone Essar and STel were also awarded concessions. State-owned operators BSNL and MTNL both already offer commercial 3G services. It will not be until at least September 2010 that they are joined by the private players; their 3G licences stipulate September as the earliest launch date.

In addition to the long-awaited issuance of 3G mobile licences, it was announced in June that the sale of new wireless broadband spectrum had been completed. According to the DoT, Infotel Broadband Services won Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) licences for all 22 of India's telecoms circles, paying INR128.48bn (US$2.74bn). Mobile network operator Aircel won the next largest number of BWA licences, eight, for a total of INR34.38bn, with Tikona Digital Networks paying INR10.58bn for five licences. Other winners were US-based chipmaker Qualcomm and Bharti Airtel, with four licences apiece, and Augere, which claimed just one concession. The issuance of the new wireless broadband spectrum is expected to provide an important boost to the development of WiMAX in India.

Key Topics Covered:

• Executive Summary
• SWOT Analysis
• India Mobile SWOT
• India Wireline SWOT
• India Political SWOT
• India Economic SWOT
• India Business Environment SWOT
• Business Environment
• Asia Pacific Business Environment Ratings Q310
• India
• Tables

Companies Mentioned:

• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)
• Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL)
• Bharti Airtel
• Vodafone Essar (Formerly Hutchison Essar)

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d45e06/india_telecommunic

CONTACT:

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

KEYWORDS:   Asia Pacific  India

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Telecommunications

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