The TD-LTE subscriber base in India will reach 67 million by the end of 2017, predicts Maravedis-Rethink. With overall stagnant 2011 broadband penetration at 13.35 million primarily DSL subscribers, the Indian market represents a significant growth opportunity for the broadband wireless sector, says the new report.

3G is starting to make inroads in India and the active 3G subscriber base will reach 41 million by the end of 2012. 3G subscriber base in India is expected to reach 371 million by 2017.

Key Findings of report are as below:

• 3G smartphones will dominate the device category with 55% market share by the end of 2017
• The availability of content in local languages will be a key determining factor for takeup of 3G and TD-LTE service, especially in rural areas
• Given their small amount of spectrum (5MHz), 3G spectrum holders will have to offload data traffic in the future.
• Indian operators providing broadband wireless services in the unlicensed frequency bands (2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz) are expected to play an increasingly important role in the 3G data offload
• By the end of 2017, Bharti Airtel is expected to lead the market in number of 3G subscribers
• FDD-LTE variant will be deployed when 700 MHz spectrum is allocated in late 2014 or early 2015

As long as TD-LTE is the de facto technology for mobile broadband in India, the challenge operators face lie in bringing an inexpensive multimode (2G/3G/TD-LTE) device to consumers, adds Maravedis-Rethink.