India is on track to surpass half a billion mobile subscribers by the end of the year, according to a new GSMA study. The country had 453 million unique mobile subscribers as at the end of 2014 and is forecast to reach 734 million by 2020, representing a penetration rate of 54%.
The study also highlights how the Indian mobile industry is rapidly migrating to new mobile broadband networks, services and devices, and becoming a key enabler of the government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative aimed at providing broadband connectivity to all.
Although India only launched 3G services in 2009 and 4G deployments are at an early stage, the move to mobile broadband networks is set to gather pace over the coming years, said GSMA. Mobile broadband networks (3G/4G) accounted for only 11 per cent of Indian mobile connections in 2014, but are expected to make up 42 per cent of the total by 2020. The number of individuals accessing the internet over mobile devices has grown from less than 100 million subscribers in 2010 to nearly 300 million at the end of 2014, according to GSMA.
However, GSMA notes that network coverage and digital literacy remain key barriers to further extending mobile internet access, as many of India’s unconnected communities reside in rural or remote areas.
Alex Sinclair, Acting Director General and Chief Technology Officer at the GSMA
The market is now rapidly migrating to mobile broadband technology, which is providing a platform for India to transform into a digitally empowered society and connect many millions of unconnected citizens to the internet over the coming years.
