Vodafone Essar crosses 100 million subscribers in India

Vodafone Essar has become the third operator in India to reach the 100 million customer milestone, as well as the fifth operator worldwide to capture as many subscribers in a single market. The Indian arm of UK’s Vodafone reached the landmark figure behind competitors Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications, which reached 100 million subscribers in May 2009 and March 2010 respectively.

“In the past three years, we have invested over INR 200 billion (US$4.5 billion) to expand our operations to service customers in India. We will utilise our global and Indian experience to deliver the best products and services to our customers,” stated Marten Pieters, MD and CEO of Vodafone Essar.

The mobile firm originally began operators in May 2007 with GSM services in 16 telecommunications circles. Coverage has been extended over the past three years to cover all of India. Approximately 60 per cent of the operator’s new subscribers come from rural areas.