A business delegation of 19 Israeli companies active in the communications industry will next week meet with senior executives of Indian telecommunications operators following last week's publication of tenders for 3G frequencies by the Indian government.

During the five-day visit starting on Monday, the Israeli business delegation organized by the Israel Export Institute, will meet with leading Indian and global providers including Bharti Airtel Ltd., Idea Cellular Ltd, Reliance Communications Ltd., Tata Teleservice Ltd., Ericsson India Ltd. Nokia Siemens Networks India pvt Ltd., and Vodafone.

The Israeli companies joining the delegation include Allot Communications Ltd., BIS Solutions, B-Obvious Ltd., ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd., CTware Ltd., EasyRun Communication Software Systems Ltd., Qualisystems Ltd., Optiway Ltd., RAD Data Communications Ltd., Tadiran Telecom Ltd., Provident Ltd., Runcom Ltd., and Formula Telecom Solutions Ltd.

The Israel Export Institute said that India's telecommunications industry was undergoing rapid growth, counting seven million new subscribers every month, out of which 90% were cellular subscribers.

Over the course of the past year, India's telecommunications sector has grown at the fastest pace in the world, generating a turnover of $32 billion. India has surpassed developed countries such as France and Germany, and is now the fourth largest telecommunications market in the world.

In the first six months of 2009, exports of telecommunication tools and equipment increased by 18% to $132 million compared with the same period last year. In 2008, exports of telecommunication equipment rose by 37% year-on-year and amounted to $300 million.