INDIA SHATTERS MONTHLY MOBILE SUBSCRIBER RECORD

India added new mobile phone subscribers at a furious pace in January after telecom service provider Reliance Communications launched a new network. The nation increased its mobile subscriber tab by a monthly record high 15.4 million people in January, up from the previous record, 10.8 million, in December, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Network World

Vodafone to invest $6 bn on India operations in next 3 years

Setting an ambitious target of 100 million cellular subscribers, leading private GSM operator Vodafone-Essar on Monday announced an investment of 6 billion dollars (about Rs 24,000 crore) in the next three years. "We shall be investing 2 billion dollars annually for the next three years on our Indian operations... We have set a target of reaching 100 million subscriber base from the current level of 40 million," UK-based telecom giant Vodafone's CEO Arun Sarin told reporters here today.

The Economic Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/
Vodafone_to_invest_6_bn_on_India_operations_in_next_3_years/
articleshow/2716816.cms

BSNL mulls IPO, valued at over $ 100 bn

State-owned telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, which has been valued at over 100 billion dollar (Rs 400,000 crore), is considering an IPO to dilute up to 10 per cent of its equity to fund expansion plans.

The Financial Express
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/
BSNL-mulls-IPO-valued-at-over-100-bn/261324/

Remittances through mobile phones likely by year-end

Indians working abroad may be able to send money back home through mobile phones before the end of 2008, with Western Union and Bharti Airtel looking to operationlise the service by December.

The Economic Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/
Remittances_through_mobile_phones_likely_by_year-end/
articleshow/2681163.cms