GROWTH OF INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS
The Department of
Telecommunications (DoT) has issued as many as 587 ISP licenses
till 31st March 2003. Category-wise, 94 ISP licenses
have been issued in Category-A, 230 in Category-B and 263 licenses
in Category-C. This is as compared to 85 ISP licenses which existed
as on 13th March, 1999, four years back. The number
of ISP licenses that were issued upto 31st March, 2000
stood at 270, upto 31st March, 2001 their number increased
to 456 which further increased to 515 till the end of 31st
March, 2002. Category-A stands for National level license, Category-B
stands for Metro/State level license and Category-C stands for
District level license.
During the period
upto 31st March, 2003, as many as 199 ISP licenses
have been surrendered, which takes the actual number of ISP licenses
to 388 as it existed till the end of March, 2003. As per the terms
and conditions of the ISP license, the licensees were required
to submit a performance bank guarantee of Rs.2 crore/20 lakh/3
lakh for Category-A/B/C respectively. According to the EXIT policy
announced by the Government in the year 2000, an ISP can surrender
the license after depositing 5% of the respective bank guarantees.
The number of
internet subscribers also has shown a phenomenal increase during
the period. As on 31st March, 2003, the number of internet
subscribers stood at 35 lakh, as compared to only 2.3 lakh as
on 13th March, 1999, 9.43 lakh upto the end of 31st
March, 2000, 29.09 lakh till 31st March, 2001 and 32.39
lakh till the end of March, 2002.
|
As on
|
ISP Licenses
issued
(A+B+C)
|
ISP licenses
terminated
(A+B+C)
|
ISP licensees
who have given Internet Service report (A+B+C)
|
Internet Subscribers
(Lakh)
|
|
13.3.99
|
85 (15+31+39)
|
Nil
|
7
|
2.3
|
|
31.3.2000
|
270(44+104+122)
|
3
|
65
|
9.43
|
|
31.3.2001
|
456(83+184+189)
|
29
|
118
|
29.09
|
|
31.3.2002
|
515(91+205+219)
|
73
|
161
|
32.39
|
|
31.3.2003
|
587(94+230+263)
|
199(29+87+83)
|
205(49+88+68)
|
35
|
