The Indian mobile market has undergone a revolutionary change over the past few years to become one of the leading mobile markets on the global map. Easy availability of low-priced devices, better network coverage and affordable services are some of the major factors that have boosted its growth and will continue to do the same in future. Mobile teledensity has also risen to reach the level of around 45% as of the end of 2009, but still there is a vast scope for further improvement because of wide gap in mobile penetration between urban and rural areas. For instance – the mobile penetration in urban areas rose to around 95% in 2009 while it stood at less than 20% in rural areas.

Our research anticipates that the deployment of the 3G services on a national scale will play a vital role in bridging this huge gap. According to Indian 3G Mobile Forecast report the number of 3G mobile subscribers will grow at a CAGR of around 130% between 2010 and 2013 to reach around 60 Million by the end of the period. Our research provides in-depth analysis of the various factors and issues that will play an important role towards the growth of the 3G market in the country. 

Our research projects that the future growth of the 3G market in the country will primarily depend on the Government of India’s decision to auction 3G frequencies, which have witnessed several delays. However, our study predicts that the auction will take place somewhere in H2 2010. Presently, only two state-owned telecom companies - MTNL and BSNL - are allowed to rollout 3G services in the country while rest of the operators will be issued 3G spectrum via auction.

Our study anticipates that the country will witness substantial amount of investments in 3G deployments and upgradation of the present telecom infrastructure with the finishing of the auction process. Our report also provides extensive information on the market potential in terms of 3G subscribers, and studies key areas critical to the successful adoption of 3G services in India. Besides this, the research report also provides four-year projections (2010-2013) on various segments like mobile subscribers, Internet subscribers, broadband subscribers, 3G mobile subscribers, 3G broadband subscribers, 3G enabled handsets and 3G enabled modems.
 
The report has also identified important telecom market players in the country and provides brief overview along with their strengths and weaknesses. These include:

• Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd
• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd
• Bharti Airtel Ltd
• Reliance Communication Ltd
• Vodafone Essar Ltd 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Analyst View

2. Research Methodology

3. Indian Telecom Market Overview
    3.1 Subscribers
          3.1.1 Mobile
          3.1.2 Internet
          3.1.3 Broadband

4. 3G - The Future of Indian Telecom Market
    4.1 Market Overview
    4.2 Market Potential till 2013
          4.2.1 By Subscribers
                  4.2.1.1 Mobile
                  4.2.1.2 Broadband
          4.2.2 By Devices
                  4.2.2.1 Handset
                  4.2.2.2 Modems
          4.2.3 By Urban/Rural Divide
          4.2.4 By Technology

5. Key Trends and Developments

6. Major Players and their Strategies
    6.1 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd
    6.2 Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd.
    6.3 Bharti Airtel Ltd
    6.4 Reliance Communication Ltd.
    6.5 Vodafone

List of Figures:

Figure 3-1: Number of Mobile Subscribers (Million), 2009-2013
Figure 3-2: Share of Top 5 Internet Service Providers (Sep 2009)
Figure 3-3: Number of Internet Subscribers (Million), 2009-2013
Figure 3-4: Number of Broadband Subscribers (Million), 2009-2013
Figure 4-1: Forecast for 3G Mobile Services Revenue (Billion US$), 2010-2013
Figure 4-2: Number of 3G Mobile Subscribers (Million), 2009-2013
Figure 4-3: Number of 3G Broadband Subscribers (Million), 2009-2013
Figure 4-4: 3G Enabled Handset Sales (Million Units), 2010-2013
Figure 4-5: 3G Modem Sales (Million Units), 2009-2013
Figure 4-6: Internet Users Breakup (%), 2009
Figure 4-7: Forecast for 3G Mobile Subscribers by Urban/Rural Divide (%), 2013
Figure 4-8: Forecast for 3G Mobile Subscribers by Technology (%), 2013

List of Tables:

Table 6-1: BSNL - Strengths & Weaknesses
Table 6-2: MTNL - Strengths & Weaknesses
Table 6-3: Bharati Airtel - Strengths & Weaknesses
Table 6-4: Reliance Communication Ltd - Strengths & Weaknesses
Table 6-5: Vodafone - Strengths & Weaknesses