There was an increase of 1.97 million mobile subscribers from 1,141.96 million (in February 2023) to 1,143.93 million at the end of March 2023, according to the data published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). It added that the subscriber base registered a nominal growth of 0.17 percent. The telecom regulator reported that the number of wireless telecom subscribers in urban areas increased from 626.37 million (Feb 2023) to 627.54 million at the end of March 2023, whereas rural areas witnessed an increase from 515.60 million to 516.38 million during the same period. A total of 11.70 million subscribers opted for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in March 2023, bringing the total number of requests to 819.70 million since MNP was introduced by the regulator. Why it matters: It is crucial to study the data released by TRAI to understand the growth of internet in India. The data also helps understand the density of telecom services in the country, thereby identifying areas that may need regulatory intervention, either from the government or the telcos. Growth in broadband connections: There was a negligible growth (0.86 percent) in broadband subscribers from 839.33 million to 846.57 million during March, as per data shared by 1,007 operators. The aforementioned figures include data from both wired and wireless connections. A cursory glance at the wired subscribers reveals that there was an increase of 2.04 percent from 32.82 in February 2023 to 33.49 million in March 2023. Reliance Jio continues to dominate the charts with…
