Article
It’s not the urban centres alone that are powering India’s phenomenal growth in mobile telephony. Data on rural telephony, compiled by the telecom regulator, shows people in villages are subscribing to mobile services in large numbers. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data shows that rural mobile phone connections stood at 39.46 million up to June 2007. With a total subscriber base of 185 million that month, rural subscribers formed a formidable block of 21.31 per cent, or over one-fifth of the total mobile user base in India. This article examines to growth in mobile usage in India, particularly in rural areas.