I have always suspected that numbers are inflated. A surprise entry in Hindu Business Line just confirms my suspicions.

It says:

The phenomenal growth in mobile subscriber base being reported by the operators every month may not be entirely true.According to a new study done by the US-based research and analyst firm Yankee Group, the addition of new cellular subscribers in the country may be exaggerated by about 10-15 per cent.

Reacting to the report Mr T V Ramachandran, Director-General, Cellular Operator’s Association of India (COAI), said that reports from China has also pointed out lower handset sales as compared to new subscribers added.

(Which reports Mr Rama? Readers, you are at your liberty to laugh at this chap. He’s lampooning himself and suffering a fit of verbal diarrhoea. Oh China indeed! Just because it “supposedly happens in China, it has to do in India too?)

This could be because there are subscribers who have two connections but only one handset due to high price of the devices (:-)) By the way, getting a connection is not easy either. Further, the so called “cheap prices for the connections are valid for 15 days. Even if someone goes in for a “free incoming” offer, thats roughly equivalent to Rs. 1000/- Some one can easily pick up a second hand handset. Who would want to change SIM cards? Two handsets? Bah! Tomorrow, you could claim 3 or more!

We could do with less of these people around here. Mr Rama has a good lawyer and I don’t to trouble him with drafting anything out in my name. Though, enough said about the posts they hold. I can understand the need to protect your interests, but in such a blatant manner? Inexcusable.