NEW DELHI: India's Internet subscriber base increased to 3.5 million as on on March 2003 against 3.239 million in the corresponding period previous year, according to a government release.
"As on March 2003, the number of Internet subscribers stood at 35 lakh (3.5 million) as compared to only 2.3 lakh (230,000) as on 13 March, 1999, 9.43 lakh (943,000) up to the end of March 2000, 29.09 lakh (2.909 million) till March 2001 and 32.39 lakh (3.239 million) till the end of March 2002," the release said. 
As against 587 ISP licences issued by the Department of Telecom (DoT) till March 2003, as many as 199 ISP licences had been surrendered, as a result of which the actual number of ISP licences stood at 388.
Of the 587 licences issued till March 2003, 94 ISP licences were issued in category A, 230 in category B and 263 in category C, it said.
Similarly, of the 199 licences which were surrendered as of March 2003, 29 belonged to category A, 87 to category B and 83 to category C, the statement added.