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To: A.J. Mullen who wrote (7936)	2/4/1998 1:26:00 PM
From: Caxton Rhodes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

India's GSM Market Will Take Off In 1998 Cellular Operators Association of India 02/04/98 Analysts predict that India's GSM market will add a record number of subscribers in 1998. At the end of 1997 there were 772,000 cellular subscribers on 34 networks in the country. Predictions are for some 750,000 to 1 million new subscribers in 1998. NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1998 FEB 3 (Newsbytes) -- By C. T. Mahabharat. India has been a relative newcomer to the global system for mobile communications (GSM) world, with the first Indian GSM operators not being licensed until 1995. Now, however, the addition of 500,000 subscribers to the cellphone user base in 1997 is prompting industry analysts to predict that, in 1998, the Indian GSM market is set for lift-off. While at the end of 1997 there were 772,000 cellular subscribers on 34 networks in the country, it is predicted that 1998 will witness between 750,000 and one million new subscribers. According to Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) officials, data filed by cellular operators with the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) shows that, although the number of subscribers in state circles, other than the four metros, accounted for only 30 percent of the total market, the trend for cellular companies in the circles is that their subscriber base is rapidly increasing. As of December 31, 1997, eight private mobile phone service operators in the four metros had 545,000 subscribers, while the state circles accounted for 226,000 subscribers. Cellular services in the state circles commenced in early 1997. Their market share has grown progressively from 18.5 percent in June last year to 24 percent in October, 28.5 percent in November, and finally 29.4 percent in December last year. Ashish Pandit, country manager, Alcatel Mobile Phones, said that the potential for increase in the circles has always been there. As the coverage of the circle networks improves, and cellular operators start offering better handset-usage packages, the number of subscribers will increase. Reported by Newsbytes News Network newsbytes.com