Airtel Adds Highest Number of New GSM Subscribers In January

India's largest Mobile Service operator Bharti Airtel has added a total of 3.3 million GSM subscribers which is the highest number of new mobile subscribers additions in the month of January 2011. Airtel's GSM subscriber base now reached 156 million, as per the COAI data.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has released the GSM subscriber base for January 2011 and, quite expectantly, new additions continue at an average growth rate.The number of new GSM subscribers being added in January month 13.71 million at a monthly growth rate of 2.53% taking the all-India GSM cellular subscriber base to 540.37 million (exclude RTL).

Among the GSM Mobile Service Operators, Vodafone Essar notched up 3.1 million new subscribers during the month, taking its total base to 127.36 million. While India's national telecom backbone and Pan India 3G Mobile service operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) added up 2.2 million new users in January-2011, taking its total subscriber base to 83.6 million.

Idea Cellular added 2.5 million new customers, boosting its subscriber base to 83.5 million, while Aircel increased its base by over 1.6 million customers to take its subscriber base to 51.8. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) added 37,586 new users during the month, boosting its total base to 5.15 million at the end of January, 2011.

Uninor, one of the youngest GSM operators in India has added 1.8mn GSM subscriber while Videocon looses 13,08,370 subscribers with minus growth rate and STel managed just 2,47,068 new subscribers from 5 circles. Etisalat DB/Cheers Mobile 1,87,675 added subscribers in 13 circles.

Please note : COAI GSM Subscriber base does not include the Reliance GSM base and Tata Docomo subscriber Base (same not submitted to COAI).