TRAI Report: How many mobile subscribers does India actually have?

Advertisement
By Geetaj Channana, NDTV | Updated: 12 June 2012 18:18 IST
Highlights
  • That’s a question there is no good answer to. According to the highlights of telecom subscription data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, there are 811.59 million wireless subscribers in India. But, the report goes on to say that there a
That's a question there is no good answer to. According to the highlights of telecom subscription data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, there are 811.59 million wireless subscribers in India. But, the report goes on to say that there are only 573.97 million subscribers in the Visitor Location Register (VLR).
 
What's the difference? VLR is the database that stores information about users that are roaming into a particular network. A user can be present in only one VLR at any given point of time. Thus, this is a better approximation of the number of active users that are currently in the network.
 
This means 237.62 million subscriptions are dormant rather than active subscribers on the network. Also, many subscribers are using dual-sim handsets with more than one connection on the same device - which means the actual number of subscribers may be even lower than the 573.97 active subscriptions.
 
Note: This VLR data excludes the number of CDMA BSNL subscribers as the service provider did not provide the VLR details of their 5.57 million subscribers.

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Samsung Galaxy S26+ Reportedly Listed for Sale Online Ahead of Launch
  2. Vivo X300 FE Reportedly Bags IMDA and TUV Certifications Ahead of Launch
  3. Deals on iPhone 17, Google Pixel 10 and More During Flipkart Sale
  4. Poco X8 Pro Spotted on Geekbench With This Dimensity 8000 Series Chipset
  5. Xiaomi 17 Series Leak Hints at Imminent Launch Ahead of MWC at These Prices
  6. Samsung Galaxy A27 5G Lands on IMEI Database, Could Launch Soon
  7. Tecno Spark 50 4G Launch Timeline, Design, Colourways, Key Features Leaked
  8. Anthropic's First Indian Office in Bengaluru Is Now Open
  9. Oppo K14x 5G With 6,500mAh Battery Goes on Sale in India: See Price, Offers
  1. Sony Could Reportedly Delay PS6 to as Late as 2029 Due to RAM Shortage
  2. iPhone 18 Series to Drop SIM Card Slot in Europe to Make Room for Slightly Larger Battery: Report
  3. Poco X8 Pro Spotted on Geekbench With MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra SoC, Android 16
  4. Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra Global Price Details, Launch Date and Colour Options Leaked
  5. X Building Smart 'Cashtags' to Let Users Check Cryptocurrency Prices in Real-Time
  6. Samsung Galaxy A27 5G Listing on IMEI Database Suggests a Galaxy A26 Successor Is on the Way
  7. Anthropic Inaugurates First Indian Office in Bengaluru, Starts Hiring Local Talent
  8. Apple Tipped to Adopt Samsung's Privacy Display Technology for MacBook Models by 2029
  9. Oppo Find X10 Series Tipped to Launch in H2 2026 With Built-In Magnets for Wireless Charging
  10. AMD and TCS to Co-Develop Helios AI Data Centre Architecture, Deliver 200MW Data Centre Blueprint
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.