India has the world's second-largest telecommunications industry. The mobile phone industry in India is likely to contribute about US$ 400 billion to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and has the potential to generate about 4.1 million additional jobs by 2020. The telecommunications industry attracted foreign direct investments (FDI) worth US$ 59,796 million between April 2000 to January 2014, an increase of 6 per cent to the total FDI inflows in terms of US$, according to data published by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
India's global system for mobile (GSM) operators added 4.14 million rural subscribers in January 2014, taking the total to 285.35 million. India's GSM cellular subscriber base increased marginally in November 2013 to 688.02 million with an addition of 4.87 million new subscribers during the month. Data traffic powered by third generation (3G) services grew at 146 per cent in India during 2013, higher than the global average that saw use double, according to a study by Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN).
India's smart-phone market grew by 171 per cent last year to 44 million devices from 16.2 million in 2012. Liberalized FDI policy in telecommunication has been proposed in the Union Budget 2014-15 to attract large investments. Various policy initiatives by the Indian government have led to a complete transformation of the Indian telecommunication industry. With the ongoing investments into infrastructure, the country is projected to witness high penetration in the telecommunication sector in the years to come.
INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE IN 2013 - 2014 
