Sector Update:: BSNL

BSNL drives the volume growth
GSM operators (excluding Reliance Communications) reported a robust addition of 7.3 million subscribers during March, taking the total subscriber base to 192.3 million. The GSM subscriber base grew by 4.0% during the month, which is higher than the average growth of 3.6% reported during the previous four months.

This growth in the subscriber base can be attributed to the year-end push by BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) and the launch of aggressively priced schemes by various players. As mentioned earlier, it is important to watch the expansion in minutes of usage due to reduction in rates.