ce was provided only by two state-owned carriers: BSNL and MTNL. In 1994, telecommunications was deregulated and the National Telecommunications Policy was created to allow private companies and foreign enti- ties to provide telecommunications services. Foreign entities are not allowed to own 100 percent of a carrier. To encourage competition, the Policy also lowered license fees required to operate telecommunications and mobile networks. Table 8-3 lists cellular mobile providers in descending order of number of subscribers, as of December 2010. India is divided into 22 service areas called circles, with between nine and 14 operators in each circle. The government grants spectrum rights to particular circles in spectrum auctions. BSNL has rights to all of India, except Delhi and Mumbai, and MTNL has spectrum in Delhi and Mumbai. Rights can be granted to multiple circles per carrier. Because of its potential for growth, international carriers from Bahrain, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Russia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates have expanded into India. A number of India's conglomerates, notably Bharti Enterprises, have also expanded into mobile services. Bharti is now India's largest carrier, with coverage through almost the entire country and Time-Division Multiplexing LTE (TD- LTE) service in the state of Kolcata. In addition to helping to lower mobile rates, com- petition has spurred improvements in customer service. In addition to low per-minute rates, competition has sparked innovations. New mobile phones now can be equipped with two Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards simultaneously SO that subscribers can use their handsets on multiple carrier networks. Phones that can be equipped with four SIM cards simultaneously have been announced. Low Broadband Penetration Most residents in India's urban areas have mobile phones and use them primarily for voice. As carriers continue to build out and upgrade their networks, this might change. To enable development of new value-added data, e-commerce, and Internet ac