DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zrjmzj/india_telecoms) has announced the addition of the "India - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts" report to their offering.
India's Telecom Market Feels The Mobile Sector Turmoil As The Shake-Out From 2G Scandal Continues
India's massive mobile market entered a period of uncertainty in 2012 and this had continued into 2013. Whilst maintaining its ranking as one of the two largest telecom markets in the world (not surprisingly the other being China), India has looked anything but the strong market it was two years earlier. A number of factors have contributed to this situation. The Supreme Court decision in February 2012 that saw the large scale cancellation of operator licences and the subsequent response of the regulators to the court orders set the scene for the market uncertainty that followed. In the wake of the court decision and specifically the directive to re-auction the cancelled licences, a number of operators exited the market, whilst others were looking to rationalise their businesses. After a number of delays, the all-important re-auctioning of the cancelled 2G mobile licences took place in late 2012. This saw a disappointing outcome for the government with much of the spectrum on offer not even attracting bids, the high reserve prices clearly frightening off potential buyers. A further auction was held in March 2013 to sell off the remaining spectrum. Again the lack of bidder interest forced further postponements.
In the meantime a different kind of shake-out' was impacting on the mobile market. Operators had begun culling inactive prepaid subscribers from their customer databases; by mid-2012 this process had caused a major dislocation in the subscriber statistics and it was evident that the market would need time to adjust. The mobile sector had passed the 900 million subscriber mark by early 2012; by end-2012, however, the total subscriber numbers had fallen to around 860 million as the combined net effect of growth and culling was felt. Despite this dislocation, overall growth in the national subscriber base in the medium to long term was expected to continue at a strong rate; by mid-2013 the net subscriber numbers were increasing once more.
In the meantime, the fixed-line market, which had grown strongly over a number of years, began experiencing zero and then negative growth. Fixed-line subscriber numbers stood at 31 million by early 2013. With less than 3% fixed-line penetration, India has nevertheless achieved a remarkable national coverage, with 99% of the population having some form of access to a telephone.
In terms of online access, there have been a number of efforts by the government to promote broadband internet throughout the country; broadband development had long been languishing, but there was new hope for a serious expansion phase in this segment of the market. By early 2013 there were around 15 million fixed broadband subscribers - a lowly penetration (by population) of slightly more than 1%. Meanwhile, the impact of mobile broadband was finally starting to hit the market and in the medium term this was expected to lift broadband penetration significantly.
Key Topics Covered
This report provides a comprehensive overview of the trends and developments in the telecommunications and digital media markets in India:
1. Key Statistics
2. Country overview
3. Telecommunications Market
4. Regulatory Environment
5. Major Operators
6. Telecommunications Infrastructure
7. Internet Market
8. Broadband Market
9. Digital Media
10. Mobile Communications
11. Forecasts
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zrjmzj/india_telecoms
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