The total GSM-based subscriber base in India crossed the 100mn mark in November, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) announced. GSM service providers have set a new record by adding 5mn new users in November. This is even higher than the 4.7mn subscribers added in October. India has now joined the super-elite club of countries having more than 100mn GSM subscribers well ahead of expectations. In terms of the GSM subscriber base, India is now placed third after China and Russia.
| Rank | Country | GSM subscriber base in Million (Nov’06) |
| 1 | China | 401.7 |
| 2 | Russia | 152.2 |
| 3 | India | 100.7 |
T.V. Ramachandran, Director General of COAI stated that GSM technology has been the primary engine of growth in telecom in India and will continue to be the major contributor to the growth in teledensity in the coming years as well. He also said that the sharp spurt in overall mobile growth has been due to forward looking policies of the Government and enabling regulations.
Hutchison Essar Ltd., the joint venture between the Essar Group and Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd., said it added a record one million subscribers in November as the company expanded its service across the nation. The New Delhi-based company's number of users rose to 23.3mn last month. The company gained users as call rates for cellular phones fell by between 5% and 7% in the past year. Bharti Airtel added 1.65mn new users, taking its total to 30.26mn.
Company wise market share in November 2006
| Name of company | Total Sub Figures | % Market Share |
| Bharti Airtel | 30262269 | 30.03% |
| BSNL | 22975201 | 22.80% |
| Hutchison Essar | 22274580 | 22.10% |
| IDEA | 11841154 | 11.75% |
| Aircel | 4237834 | 4.20% |
| Reliance Telecom | 3409792 | 3.38% |
| MTNL | 2375026 | 2.36% |
| Spice | 2357493 | 2.34% |
| BPL | 1052699 | 1.04% |
| All India | 100786048 | 100.00% |