Srotaswini Mohapatra
Pune, 21 August 2024
The Indian telecom sector has witnessed remarkable growth during the financial year 2023-2024, as highlighted in the annual report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The report highlights significant growth trends and key parameters across various services. It has been prepared based on the information furnished by the service providers. The report shows that the overall tele-density in India increased from 84.51% at the end of March 2023 to 85.69% at the end of March 2024, representing a yearly growth rate of 1.39%.
Key findings in the report include:
- Surge in Total Internet Subscribers: The total number of internet subscribers increased from 88.1 crore at the end of March 2023 to 95.4 crore at the end of March 2024, reflecting a yearly growth rate of 8.30% and an addition of 7.3 crore internet subscribers in the past year.
- Dominance of Broadband Subscribers: Broadband services maintained their upward trajectory, with the number of broadband subscribers increasing from 84.6 crore in March 2023 to 92.4 crore in March 2024. This robust growth rate of 9.15%, with a massive addition of 7.8 crore broadband subscribers, underscores the importance of high-speed connectivity.
- Exponential Data Consumption: The number of wireless data subscribers increased from 84.6 crore at the end of March 2023 to 91.3 crore at the end of March 2024, reflecting a yearly growth rate of 7.93%. Additionally, the total volume of wireless data usage increased from 1,60,054 PB in 2022-23 to 1,94,774 PB in 2023-24, marking a yearly growth of 21.69%.
- Rise in Tele-density: The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 117.2 crore at the end of March 2023 to 119.9 crore at the end of March 2024, registering a yearly growth rate of 2.30%. The overall tele-density in India rose from 84.51% at the end of March 2023 to 85.69% at the end of March 2024, with a yearly growth rate of 1.39%.
- Average Minutes of Usage (MOUs): The average minutes of usage per subscriber per month increased from 919 in 2022-23 to 963 in 2023-24, showing a yearly growth rate of 4.73%.
- Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR): AGR increased from Rs 2,49,908 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 2,70,504 crore in 2023-24, reflecting a yearly growth rate of 8.24%.
This report, while presenting key parameters and growth trends for telecom services in India for the financial year 2023-24, also provides a broad perspective on the telecom services sector and serves as a reference document for various stakeholders, research agencies, and analysts.