20 million rural users snap mobile connectivity

There has been a steady decrease in the number of mobile users in rural areas over the last six months. According to data available with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), 20 million mobile phone users have disconnected their subscription since December 2018.

From 528 million mobile users in December 2018, the number of mobile users in rural areas had come down to 508 million by June 2019. Fixed line telephony also declined from 3.11 million to 2.85 million during this period. The combined fall in fixed line telephony and mobile user base has resulted in the overall rural tele-density to fall from 59.50 in December to 56.99 in June 2018.