India Telephone Companies

India Landline Phone Companies

The following telephone companies provide landline phone service in one or more telecom circles in India.

Please check company websites for service availability, coverage and plan details.

• Bharti Airtel - Bharti Airtel is an integrated carrier with growing presence across all of India's 23 telecom circles. The company provides landline and mobile services in 94 cities and has the largest mobile subscriber base.
• BSNL - Government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the largest and oldest telephone operator in India. BSNL provides both landline and mobile phone service nationwide, except in Delhi and Mumbai where MTNL operates. Until the late 1990s, BSNL had a monopoly on telecom services and it is still, by far, the largest landline phone company in the country.
• HFCL Connect - HFCL Connect is a smaller telephone company started in 2000. Currently, they serve only Punjab. In Punjab, HFCL connect provides landline, mobile, and internet services. They provide mobile services under the 'Ping Mobile' brand.
• MTNL - Government-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) provides landline, mobile phone, and internet services in the cities of Delhi and Mumbai only. It is the sister organization to BSNL and is a major incumbent telephone operator in India.
• MTS India - MTS India is a relatively new full service carrier that provides landline phones or other services in 6 telecom circles, including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kolkata. MTS is operated by Shyam TeleServices, a joint venture between Sistema, a Russian company, and Shyam Group of India.
• Reliance Communications - Reliance Communications has grown rapidly throughout India since launching in 2002. The company provides both landline and mobile services in India.
• Tata Indicom - Tata Indicom provides both landline and mobile services in India. The company has grown rapidly since launching in 1996 and especially since the acquisition of Hughes Telecom in 2002.

Landline Phone Companies by Telecom Circle

The following table indicates which landline phone companies are operating in each India telecom circle.

The India market is fairly dynamic, so please check company sites for latest information.

Please check company websites for service availability, coverage and plan details.

India Mobile Phone Companies

The following is a complete list of mobile phone providers operating in India.

See below for listing of which companies operate in which telecom circles.

Since the India mobile market is growing extremely quickly and the line-up of competitors is quite dynamic, please check company websites for specific details on service availability, pricing, and other plan details.

• Aircel - Aircel is a growing mobile provider which offers wireless services in most of India's telecom circles. Aircel is a GSM operator. Aircel is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited of India.
• Bharti Airtel - Bharti Airtel has become India's largest mobile telephone company and is one of the few companies with a national network. Bharti provides wireless service in all of India's 22 telecom circles. Airtel provides GSM mobile services.
• BSNL - Government-owned BSNL, India's largest phone company, provides mobile phones services nationwide, except in the Delhi and Mumbai Metro Circles. BSNL is a GSM operator.
• IDEA Cellular - IDEA Cellular, traded on the Bombay Exchange, operates a GSM mobile network across India. It has expanded operations extremely quickly and now operates almost everywhere in the country. It bought Spice Communications.
• Loop Mobile - Loop Mobile, which used to be called BPL Mobile, is a smaller mobile carrier that currently provides service only in the Mumbai Metro telecom circle. Loop is a GSM operator.
• MTNL - Government-owned MTNL provides GSM mobile phone services in the Delhi and Mumbai Metro telecom circles. It also provides landline phones, internet service, and other services in those markets.
• MTS (Shyam) - MTS is a growing full service carrier that provides both mobile and landline phones as well as other services in several telecom circles, including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kolkata. MTS is operated by Shyam TeleServices, a joint venture between Sistema, a Russian company, and Shyam Group of India.
• Ping Mobile (HFCL Infotel) - Ping Mobile, an HFCL Infotel brand, is a smaller telephone company started in 2000. Currently, they serve only Punjab state. In Punjab, Ping and it's sibling company, HFCL, provide landline, mobile, and internet services.
• Reliance Communications - Reliance operates two mobile brands in India -- one on a CDMA network and the other on a GSM network. Between the two companies, Reliance operates in all 22 circles across the country.
• Reliance Communications - Reliance Communications provides mobile services on a CDMA network. It operates in almost all telecom circles. The company has grown rapidly throughout India since launching in 2002.
• Reliance Mobile - Reliance Mobile provides mobile services on a GSM mobile network. Reliance Mobile currently operates in 8 circles.
• Tata Teleservices - Tata Teleservices provides mobile services across India under three brand names and on both CDMA and GSM networks. Across the three companies, Tata operates in all 22 telecom circles.
• Tata Indicom - Tata Indicom provides CDMA mobile services in all 22 telecom circles, including at least 1,000 cities across India. The company has grown rapidly throughout India since launching in 1996 and especially since the acquisition of Hughes Telecom in 2002.
• Tata DOCOMO - Tata DOCOMO provides GSM mobile services in many of India's 22 telecom circles. The company is a partnership between Tata Group and NTT DOCOMO, the Japanese telecom operator.
• Virgin Mobile - Tata also operates under the Virgin Mobile brand through a partnership with the UK-based mobile provider. Virgin Mobile targets the youth segment. It provides services in most of India's telecom circles. It operates on the Tata Indicom CDMA network.
• Uninor - Uninor is a major mobile player in India. It launched services in December, 2009 in 7 telecom circles simultaneously. It has licenses to operate in all 22 telecom circles. Uninor is controlled by Telenor, a giant Norwegian mobile services company with operations in 13 European and Asian countries, and by Unitech, a large Indian real estate company.
• Vodafone India - Vodafone India provides GSM mobile services in all telecom circles across India. The company acquired Hutchinson Telecom in 2007 to accelerate growth. In the same year, it also acquired additional GSM mobile licenses. Vodafone is a GSM operator.

Potential New Mobile Phone Companies

In addition to the above listed companies, at least three other companies have won mobile phone licenses, but have not yet launched services.

• Etisalat DB - Etisalat is a UAE telecom company. They acquired mobile licenses under an entity called Swan Telecom in a partnership with DB Realty, a large Indian real estate company. Swan was later renamed to Etisalat DB and the licenses are now held under that name. Etisalat announced the intention to merge with Allianz, another license holder.
• Allianz Infratech - potentially will merge with Etisalat DB.
• Datacom Solutions

Mobile Phone Companies by Telecom Circle

The following tables show which mobile phone companies are operating in each India telecom circle.

The India market, especially the wireless segement, is very dynamic, so please check government and/or company sites for latest information for new entrants, new licenses, new lauches, mergers, etc.

For specific service plans and coverage, please check company websites.