Delhi joins elite club with 100% mobile penetration

NEW DELHI: Delhi has become the first Indian city to have over 100% telecom penetration. The latest government data shows that the city has a mobile tele-density of 109.9%, or has over 109 mobile connections for every 100 residents.

Delhi, which had about 19-million mobile subscribers as of October-end, also joins the global league of cities with over 100% mobile penetration such as London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Delhi���s telecom penetration would be much higher, if the landline figures are also taken into account. The Capital was the first Indian city where mobile services were launched in 1995.

���Delhiites love to live well, enjoy life and spend more compared to any other city in India. It���s therefore no surprise that the city���s mobile penetration is more than 100%,��� said GSM operators��� lobby COAI director general TV Ramachandran.

Despite an over 100% mobile penetration, the city still has significant scope of adding several million users. It is estimated that nearly a fifth of the city���s population of 17 million, who are in the lower income bracket, do not have a mobile connection.

���Urban markets have achieved near saturation, while the rural market is largely untapped. Operators and handset makers will need to have two different strategies for these markets,��� said Nokia India chief D Shivakumar. For operators, this means focus on additional services and better quality in urban India. Companies will have to sell mobility to rural users.