GSM operators add 4.64 million new users in June

GSM operators in the country have added 4.64 million new users in June, a 0.69 per cent increase from the previous month, taking the total to 677.35 million, with Bharti Airtel topping in subscriber additions.

The country's largest telecom operator, Bharti Airtel, garnered the maximum of 2 million subscribers during the month under review, taking its total to 187.30 million. The New Delhi based firm had a 27.65 per cent market share as on the end of June, according to data released by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

Vodafone India, the country's third-largest operator, added 1.22 million customers in June, taking its subscriber base to 153.70 million. The operator, a unit of world's largest telecom operator by Vodafone Inc, had garnered a market share of 22.69 per cent during the reporting month.

Idea Cellular, the Aditya Birla group firm, added 1.19 million new subscribers during the month taking its total subscriber base to 117.16 million.

Uninor, which lost its licences following the 2G telecom scam, added 0.50 million new customers, while another player whose licences were also cancelled, lost 0.66 million users during the month. Uninor – a joint venture between Norway's Telenor and Indian real estate major Unitech – had a total user of 45.57 million. The user base of Videocon stands at 5.57 million.

State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which had a subscriber base of 94.68 million, did not add a single subscriber during the month. The other public sector company, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) added a meagre 162 new customers, increasing its user base to 5.32 million.