India adds 8.21 mln mobile users in April - regulator

Indian mobile firms added 8.21 million users in April, maintaining the momentum in the world's fastest-growing mobile services market, the telecoms regulator said.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said there were 269.30 million wireless users in India at end-April, up 57 percent from a year earlier.

In March, India had signed a record 10.2 million new users and overtook the United States to become the world's second-largest mobile market after China.

Top mobile operator Bharti Airtel led the signings in April with 2.39 million new customers.

No. 2 Reliance Communications, which is in talks with South Africa's MTN for a possible combination that could create one of the top-10 telecoms firms, added 1.62 million wireless users.

Unlisted Vodafone Essar, controlled by Britain's Vodafone Plc, added 1.65 million mobile customers in April.

Fixed-line users continued to dwindle with the subscribers declining 0.21 million in April to 39.21 million.

Total fixed-line and wireless subscribers rose 45.7 percent from a year earlier to 308.51 million at the end of April, the regulator said.