In terms of number of wireless connections, India at present is the fastest growing industry in the world after China. It currently has 811.59 million cell phone subscribers.
By 2013, according to the World Telecommunication industry India will have 1200 million mobile subscribers. Several global consultancies have projected the total number of subscribes in India to surpass those of China by 2013.
The Past Of Indian Telecommunication
The Beginning of Telecommunication in India – Until 1850 POSTAL was the only means of communication in India. In 1850 electric telegraph was started in India for the first time between Kolkata (then Calcutta) and Diamond Harbor. It was on 28 January, 1882 when first formal telephone service was set up with 93 subscribers.
Department of Telecom (DoT) was established in 1975 to manage the telecom services in India. After a decade Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) was setup in Delhi and Mumbai. DoT was corporatized in the year 2000 and renamed as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
From 1902 India has drastically switched from cable telegraph to wireless telegraph, radio telephone, radio telegraph and trunk dialing. It further moved on to digital microwave, optical fibers and satellite earth station.
In the past decade various private operators have successfully entered the Indian telecom market. This also includes various foreign investors like Vodafone, Telenor, NTT Docomo.
The advancement in wireless communications began with Pager Services in 1995, then moved on to Mobile Communication which commenced on the 48th Independence Day. This led to the huge growth in the Indian telecom sector. India entered the 3G field in 2008 with the launch of 3G mobile phones and Data services by MTNL and BSNL.
Wireless communication has now elevated to Broadband Communication. India has the third largest count of Internet users out of which 40% use it via mobile phone. Multiple access networks like fiber optics and coaxial cable, known as the Next Generation Networks (NGN) connect customers through Wi-Fi or 3G networks on mobile to the core networks via IP technology.
Indian Satellites are another success in the field of wireless communication. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), since its first attempt in 1975 has so far launched more than 50 satellites.
The growth of telecom industry in India has so far been remarkable.
Hope it surpasses all other countries in the coming years.