India second only to China having added 10.16 million mobile users in March: TRAI

Total fixed-line and wireless subscribers rose 46 percent from a year earlier to 300.5 million at the end of March, the regulator said.

The telecom industry in India has a market potential much beyond the 10 million monthly additions.

T.V. Ramachandran, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) which represents GSM players like Bharti, Vodafone, Idea and Aircel said, "We predicted the magic figure of 10 million monthly growths. This was anticipated."

"India will witness a growth rate of 11-12 million in mobile subscriber base over the coming months. The rural discount program started by the mobile telecom industry would be a trigger for that," he added.

The Association of Unified Service Providers of India (AUSPI) also affirmed that the monthly addition in mobile subscriber numbers might cross the current high within the next two months. AUSPI secretary general S.C. Khanna said, "We are expecting to meet the target of 500 million phone connections much before the scheduled date of 2010."

Khanna also stated that rural telephony would be the new thrust area which will fuel the increase in the number of subscribers.