India’s mobile phone subscriber base has topped more than 1 billion users for the first time becoming the only country after China to cross that milestone. The number of mobile phone users in India has crossed 1 billion according to the data released by the  Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Wednesday. This is a breakthrough making India the second country after China to achieve that milestone.

The number of mobile phone subscribers in India in the month of October reached 1.03 billion, up 0.7 percent from the previous month, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a statement on December 30. The data showed that the total wireless subscribers in Asia’s third-largest economy surge to more than 1 billion at the end of October from 996.7 million at September-end. Till now, China is the only country to have a more number of mobile phone users. Now, India has entered the list next to China.

Mobile phone subscriptions in India have grown rapidly in recent years, boosted by the launch of low-cost smartphones and record low-priced call tariffs that eventually result in a cut-throat competition among mobile phone operators to expand customer base.

India Becomes Second Mobile Market After China

India has become the second mobile phone market with a surge in the subscriber base that crossed 1 billion. Despite phone bills in the country are among the cheapest in the world, India’s subscriber base has risen over the years to an extent that’s more than triple the population of the U.S., emphasizing the country’s increasing economic impact. One of the popular Indian carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd. alone has more than 200 million subscribers.

“India currently has 400 million Internet subscribers. Earlier, I have said about the target to reach 500 million users in two years but now it looks that the 500 million mark is likely to be achieved next year,” Prasad said during a discussion on “Integration of SC/ST entrepreneurs: Digital and Skill India” in New Delhi.

Earlier this week, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said India has 400 million Internet subscribers (including mobile Internet users), and that subscribers in India may reach the 500 million mark in the country by the year 2016.