Indian mobile firms add 6.14 mln GSM users in April

NEW DELHI, May 9 (Reuters) - Indian mobile firms added 6.14 million users to the GSM platform in April, an industry body said on Friday.

Top mobile operator Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO: Quote, Profile, Research), which is likely to bid for South African firm MTN (MTNJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research), signed up 2.4 million new users in April to take its total to 64.4 million, data from the Cellular Operators' Association of India showed.

India, the world's fastest growing wireless telecoms market, had 198.8 million subscribers on nine GSM networks by end-April, the data showed.

The figure does not include No. 2 operator Reliance Communications Ltd's (RLCM.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) April additions. Reliance operates mainly on the rival CDMA platform but has also some GSM subscribers. The company releases its additions later.

Third-ranked Vodafone Essar, in which Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research) owns a controlling stake, signed up 1.7 million new users, swelling its subscribers to 45.8 million at end-April, the data showed.

Unlisted state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the No. 4 player, added 473,187 subscribers, taking its total to 36.7 million.

Including CDMA operators, India added a record 10.2 million wireless subscribers in March. (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by David Cowell)