The wireless subscriber growth in India will more than double to 200 million users over the next two years as growth in China slows down, opening the way for expansion in rural areas, a new study has said.
There is a realistic opportunity to add 100 million wireless subscribers over the next 2-3 years, the study said.
This is one of the conclusions of a new 80-page report 'India's Wireless Market: Model for the Next Phase of Global Wireless Expansion,' released on Thursday.
"India's wireless market requires fresh thinking regarding average revenue per user, infrastructure design, handset supplies, and digital applications and content," said Chetan Sharma, author of the report.
Increasing rural tele-density is a major piece to the puzzle, and the study conducted by Datacomm Research Company says that wireless market growth in India hinges on increasing tele-density above its current 1.7 per cent level in the rural areas that represent 70 per cent of the population.
The report also finds significant opportunities for digital applications such as Push-To-Talk.
India's wireless market, it said, is a test bed for alternative infrastructure, handsets, billing systems, business models and marketing strategies that are to prove successful in other developing countries.