Huge rise in India’s ‘inactive’ DTH subs
January 30, 2015
By Chris Forrester
India is frequently cited for its huge – and growing – DTH subscriber numbers of a combined 70.33 million. But a report from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) tells a different story.
TRAI says that the total number of inactive subscribers grew by 5.99 per cent (q-o-q, and during the July-Sept 2014 period). This growth takes the total of inactive subscribers to 31.2 million – 44.36 per cent of the claimed total. Back during the April-June 2014 quarter the total number of inactive subscribers was 29.33 million (43.41 per cent).
According to TRAI the overall DTH universe continues to grow. Subhash Chandra’s Dish TV added a net 378,000 during A3, and Bharti Airtel’s net growth was 151,000. Overall, the ‘active’ DTH universe expanded during Q3 by 2.27 per cent to 39.13 million (from 38.24 million).