CANNES, France-The wireless market in India counts 47 million subscribers, according to a report conducted by Ovum and presented by the GSM Association this week.
According to the report, the Indian wireless market grew by 87 percent between September 2003 and September 2004.
However, more investment is needed to ensure the government achieves its goal of 75-percent rural coverage by the end of next year. To date, only 30 percent of the total population is covered by mobile service mainly in urban centers, according to the report.
Ovum identified five policy areas the government of India should address, including spurring the development of the domestic mobile equipment components industry, reducing industry-specific taxes to allow for faster growth, encouraging expansion of mobile development into rural markets, moving to a technology-neutral development policy and allowing operators to bundle terminals with service.
