India's telecommunication network is the second largest in the world based on the total number of telephone users (both fixed and mobile phone). It has one of the lowest call tariffs in the world enabled by the mega telephone networks and hyper-competition among them. It has the world's third-largest Internet user-base. According to the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the Internet user base in the country stood at 190 million at the end of June, 2013. Major sectors of the Indian telecommunication industry are telephony, internet and television broadcast Industry in the country which is in an ongoing process of transforming into
next generation network, employs an extensive system of modern network elements such as digital
telephone exchanges,
mobile switching centres,
media gateways and
signalling gateways at the core, interconnected by a wide variety of transmission systems using
fibre-optics or
Microwave radio relay networks. The
access network, which connects the subscriber to the core, is highly diversified with different copper-pair, optic-fibre and wireless technologies.
DTH, a relatively new broadcasting technology has attained significant popularity in the Television segment. The introduction of private FM has given a fillip to the
radio broadcasting in India. Telecommunication in India has greatly been supported by the
INSAT system of the country, one of the largest domestic satellite systems in the world. India possesses a diversified communications system, which links all parts of the country by telephone, Internet, radio, television and satellite.