MNP triumphs again; 50.16 million requests till May '12

Mobile Number Portability became popular with the masses upon its grand launch because it gave subscribers a chance to move out of their existing service provider onto a new service provider without having to forego their number. With power in their hands, subscribers no longer found themselves tied to their existing providers, if they’re unhappy with them. Now in their newly released Telecom Subscription Data as on 31st May 2012 report, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have revealed that MNP is steadily plotting new highs and by the end of May 2012 a whopping 50.16 million MNP requests were made (by the end of April 2012, a whopping 45.89 million MNP requests were made). In fact, in May 2012 alone, 4.27 million MNP requests came by (in April 2012 alone, 4.01 million MNP requests were made). Delving into the MNP numbers further, the report adds - in MNP Zone-I (Northern and Western India) most MNP requests came from Rajasthan with 4.62 million requests, followed by Gujarat with 4.58 million requests, while in MNP Zone-II (Southern and Eastern), most requests came in from Karnataka with 5.82 million requests, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 4.81 million requests. To get a better idea of the numbers elsewhere in the country, you can refer to the image below - 

How the nation fared MNP-wise

The report further details how the nation fared in this sector, and it adds that the number of telephone subscribers in India increased to 960.90 million at the end of May 2012 from being 952.91 million at the end of April 2012 - displaying a growth figure of 0.84 percent. Interestingly, the share of urban subscribers fell to 64.65 percent from 64.95 percent, while that of rural subscribers increased to 35.35 percent in May 2012. The overall teledensity of India now stands at 79.28 at the end of May 2012 from 78.71 of the last month. 

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Gauging the performance of the wireless segment of this industry, comprising GSM, CDMA and FWP, the report found that the total wireless subscriber base increased to  929.37 Million at the end of  May 2012 from being 921.02 Million in April 2012 - depicting a growth figure of 0.91 percent. Urban wireless subscribers decreased to 64.24 percent in May 2012 from being 64.54 percent, while that of rural wireless subscribers increased from 35.46% to 35.76 percent. The overall wireless teledensity in India now stands at 76.68.

The broadband segment in the country fared well with the subscriber base going up from  13.95 million at the end of April 2012 to 14.31 million at the end of May 2012 - thereby depicting a monthly growth figure of 2.60 percent. The yearly growth in broadband subscribers stands at 18.06 percent during the last one year (June 2011 to May 2012). The report further highlighted that as on 31st May, 2012, there are 156 ISPs operational in the country doling out broadband services. As per the report, the ISPs to have emerged at the top (in terms of market share) based on subscriber base, include - BSNL (9.12 million), Bharti Airtel (1.37 million), MTNL (1.06 million), You Broadband (0.60 million) and Hathway (0.36 million).

Cover image credit: Getty Images