In India, the developments in the area of telecommunications has hit a rapid tempo. From breaking down of monopolies to bringing in reforms and the entry of private players and various cellular services besides the landline, the telecom journey in India has been a profound leapfrog.

Recently, phone connections in India have crossed the 100-million mark, which means over nine in 100 Indians have a phone. Adding on to that cheerful note, telecom companies are anticipating the number will nearly treble in the next two years.

According to a survey, by 2006, the cellular networks are expected to cover 3,50,000 (out of 6,07,000) villages, covering 450 million people.

Minister for communications and IT, Dayanidhi Maran avers that by 2007, the country will have 250 million telephones and the teledensity will be about 22 per cent. He further adds "By that time the entire country shall be carpeted by telecom network and all the villages connected by phone."