Telecom sector growth rate slips 1.08 pct

The country's telecom sector which boasted bypassing the recessionary trend to chart growth saw a 1.08 per cent dip in new telephone connections in the month of November, according to official data released in New Delhi on Monday.

Altogether 10.18 million telephone connections (wireline and wireless) were added in November, as compared to 10.29 million connections in October, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement.

India has been the fastest growing telecom market which was adding over nine million new subscribers each month. The last time when the sector had witnessed a fall in subscriber base was in April.

"This is a marginal dip, it's not alarming ," a TRAI official said adding that addition of 10 million plus subscribers every month is quiet exorbitant and difficult to sustain.

The total number of telephone connections reached 374.13 million at the end of November 2008 as compared to 363.95 million in October 2008.

With this growth, the overall tele-density has reached 32.34 per cent at the end of November 2008 as against 31.50 per cent in October 2008.

The total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA and WLL(F)) base stood at 336.08 million at the end of November 2008.