Shoma Patnaik
Panaji
Goa is among the top three states and Union territories in the country in tele-density with 157% of the population owning phones, which indicates that Goans have multiple telephone connections.
According to Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Report 2024-25, released on Tuesday, Goa, despite its small size and population, surpasses large states in density of phones per person. Delhi tops in tele-density at 178.3%, followed by Ladakh (176.3%).
According to the report, Goa has a total of 25 lakh telephone subscribers (wire line and wireless), of which 18.4 lakh are in urban areas and 6.6 lakh in rural areas. The state has 24 lakh wireless (mobile) subscribers, with 17.7 lakh in urban areas and 6.4 lakh in rural areas. Among the states, the highest number of telephone subscribers is in Uttar Pradesh (1,678.5 lakh) followed by Maharashtra (1,285.6 lakh) and West Bengal, says the report.
In terms of broadband and internet connectivity, Goa has 80,000 wireless subscribers, of which 60,000 are in urban areas and 20,000 in rural regions, according to the report.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released the Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Indicators 2024-25 on Tuesday. The report provides a broad perspective of telecom services and presents the key parameters and growth trends of the services as well as cable TV, DTH and radio broadcasting services for the period covering April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.
The report is compiled mainly on the basis of information furnished by service providers. It states that there are a total of 1,200.8 million telephone subscribers (wireless and wireline) in India (2024-25), which is a 0.13% increase over the previous year 2023-24.
Telecom usage is robust in the cities and villages with urban areas having 55% of the total subscribers and rural areas 44.5%. Three private operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea dominate the telecom industry with a market share of 91%, says the report.
