Study on the Growth of Indian Telecom Sector: Evidence from Post- Liberalization Period

The Indian government has taken major steps towards privatization and liberalization of the telecom sector since 1991. As a result, this sector has made tremendous progress by adopting advanced technology and allowing the participation of private telecom operators. The present study highlights the current scenario of Indian telecom sector and examines its growth in the last three decades from 1991 to 2020. For the study, secondary data is used from various sources and descriptive statistical tools are used for the analysis- annual growth rates, compound annual growth rates and percentage shares. The study concludes that there has been a continuous increase in the subscriber base, overall teledensity in both rural and urban areas, number of broadband subscribers and internet subscribers. The share of the public sector has come down, while the share of the private sector has increased remarkably. It is recommended that the Indian government should make the regulatory and policy framework more adaptable to the fast-changing needs of the telecom sector.