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The telecom department on Thursday said it has withdrawn the republished rules concerning telecom cyber security, noting that it was inadvertently published in the Gazette in place of another rule intended for consultation. The department clarified that the Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) Amendment Rules, 2025, notified on October 22, will continue to be in force. The Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) rules aimed to address critical vulnerabilities that have emerged with the rapid integration of telecom identifiers into digital services across sectors, such as banking, e-commerce, and e-governance. It also aimed at facilitating the identification of mobile numbers, devices and other telecom resources that have been found involved in fraudulent activities. A copy of the same notification was republished by mistake on October 29, which the Department of Telecom rescinded through a notification on November 25. "This error now stands rectified by the Department of ...
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has expanded its network footprint to Man and Merak -- two of the remotest villages on the Eastern Border of Ladakh -- near the world-famous Pangong Lake, the company said on Monday. Airtel said the expansion of the network connects the entire route between Chushul and Pangong Tso (Pangong Lake), which is at the Line of Actual control. "Located along the stretch between Man and Merak villages on the eastern border of Ladakh, this area has long struggled with zero connectivity and no telecom network availability, leaving a vast corridor of approximately 50 kilometres without coverage. High-speed network rollout in these villages marks a transformative moment, enabling residents, security forces, and tourists to stay connected in one of India's toughest terrains," Airtel said in a statement. With this deployment, the entire route between Chushul and Pangong Tso is connected, significantly boosting the tourism potential of this globally renowned ...
With the Supreme Court allowing the Centre to reconsider and reconcile Vodafone Idea's Rs 5,606 crore AGR dues for FY17, the telco on Monday said it looks forward to working closely with the telecom department to resolve the matter in the interests of its nearly 200 million subscribers. The Supreme Court on Monday permitted the Centre to reconsider and reconcile Vodafone Idea's pending adjusted gross revenue dues of Rs 5,606 crore for the financial year 201617, observing that the issue falls within the policy domain of the government. In a BSE filing, VIL said: "In a positive development, the Hon'ble Supreme Court has today permitted the Government to consider the grievances of Vodafone Idea Limited on the issues relating to AGR. We look forward to working closely with the Department of Telecommunications to resolve this matter in the interests of our nearly 200 million subscribers". This is an impetus to the Digital India vision and ambition of the Prime Minister, the telco ...
Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson plans to manufacture every telecom gear it sells in India, including 6G equipment, indigenously, a senior company official said on Thursday. Ericsson, Head of Market Area Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, Andres Vicente told PTI that the company expects to start 6G trials by 2028 but commercial deployment of the technology will take some more time. "Our intention is to manufacture in India everything we sell in India," Vicente said at India Mobile Congress 2025. The company, at present, makes 4G and 5G equipment in India and exports them to Asian countries as well. The company recently expanded its ASIC (application specific integrated chips) R&D in Bengaluru and launched production of passive antennas in India in collaboration with VVDN Technologies. Vicente said that the company is planning to expand the ASIC R&D facility team to 150 positions. He said that Ericsson is constantly increasing value addition in the equipment that are ...
Satellite broadband services in the country will begin after companies finalise their rollout plan and the sector regulatory Trai suggests spectrum prices, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the India Mobile Congress 2025, the minister said that two Satcom players have been given licenses for Satcom services, and a Letter of Intent (LoI) has been issued to another. "It depends on the players in terms of how quickly they can roll out their execution strategy. There is one issue that Trai has to still finalise the spectrum pricing. That is the pending part, and that regulator will do," Scindia said. There is growing public anticipation over the Satcom rollout in India, with prominent companies, including billionaire Elon Musk-owned Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio-SES, keenly eyeing the high-stakes game of broadband beamed from Indian skies. The government has granted permits to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES,
Starlink is "excited" and fully focused on being ready to offer Indians a secure, compliant, and high-quality broadband experience, Starlink's India market access director Parnil Urdhwareshe said on Wednesday. The comment assumes significance given the growing public anticipation over satcom rollout in India with prominent companies including billionaire Elon Musk-owned Starlink, Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Reliance Jio-SES, keenly eyeing the high-stakes game of broadband beamed from Indian skies. Urdhwareshe praised extensive government efforts, citing coordination across the Ministry of Communications, TRAI, DOS, InSpace, and DPIIT. "We're just focused on being ready to provide Indians who want that option with a compliant, secure and great experience. And we're really excited with all of the fantastic work that the government is doing, and you see this in concert across the Ministry of Communications, the TRAI, the DoS (Department of Space), InSpace, the DPIIT, everybody'
India's ambitions extend well beyond 5G, with a target of securing 10 per cent of 6G patents, while satellite communications are poised for exponential growth, with the market set to triple by 2033, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, Scindia noted that India has evolved from being a follower of technology to emerging as a digital flagbearer on the global stage. Outlining India's transformation into a self-reliant nation, Scindia said, "the day is not far off when people will say the world depends on India." "I appeal to all of you today, design here, solve here, scale for everywhere. India innovates, and the world transforms," the Minister said. Satellite communications today are expanding horizons, taking connectivity from land to sea to space. The Satcom market today, across telecom and broadcasting, which is at close to USD 4 billion, will triple to almost USD 15 billion by 2033. At the heart of this
The Centre has asked all the telecom service providers to immediately activate the intra-circle roaming (ICR) facility in Jammu and Kashmir till September 2, an official communication said. The directive has been passed to the regulatory heads of Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Reliance-Jio and Vodafone-ldea amid a collapse of telecom services in large parts of J-K, leading to a large number of people being cut off as relentless rain for the fourth day caused flood-like situation in the Jammu division. "In view of the prevailing situations due to heavy rainfall and multiple landslides in Jammu and Kashmir, and in accordance with Clause 29.6 of the unified licence and as per the provisions of SOP 2020 for responding to disasters, all telecom service providers are hereby instructed to activate the intra-circle roaming facility for the J-K Union Territory with immediate effect till 23:59 hours of September 2, or till further instructions, whichever is earlier," the disaster management unit of the
The government has approved a permit to Starlink after the company agreed to comply with domestic laws, including security conditions, which bar it from copying and decrypting data overseas and mirroring Indian user traffic on any system set up abroad, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said. The minister told PTI that security conditions mandate satellite communication providers to set up earth station gateways in India through which communications from satellite to users are routed. He said that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) granted a Unified License (UL) to Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited after the US firm agreed to the stipulated terms and conditions of the UL, including security conditions which is applicable to all satcom players. "The security conditions, inter-alia, include the establishment of earth station gateway(s) in India for providing satellite-based communication services with no user traffic originating from
The government on Tuesday said as many as 806 applications have been approved under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes across 14 sectors as on date. The schemes for 14 key sectors including telecom, electronics, pharma, textiles and auto were announced with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore to enhance India's manufacturing capabilities and exports. It was announced in 2021. "As on date, 806 applications have been approved under PLI schemes across 14 sectors," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. He said that actual investment of Rs 1.76 lakh crore has been realised till March 2025 across 14 sectors, which has resulted in incremental production/sales of over Rs 16.5 lakh crore and employment generation of over 12 lakh (direct and indirect jobs). The pharmaceuticals sector has witnessed cumulative sales of Rs 2.66 lakh crore, which includes exports of Rs 1.70 lakh crore achieved in the first three years of the ..
Under the telecom production-linked incentive scheme, only 21 out of the 42 eligible manufacturers have been able to get incentives till March 31, 2025, as per data shared by the Department of Telecom. The Department of Telecom has disbursed Rs 1,162 crore for the telecom product-linked incentive scheme till March 31, this year. The telecom product-linked incentive scheme came into effect from April 1, 2021 and is scheduled to end this fiscal year. "Total incentive disbursed under the Scheme till March 31, 2025 is Rs 1,162.03 crore," DoT said in response to information sought under Right to Information. Only 21 out of the 42 shortlisted companies have received the incentive, while two companies were rejected for failing to achieve the target as per the scheme guidelines. The claim applications of two beneficiaries -- Coral Telecom Ltd for FY 2021-22 and -- Alphion India Pvt Ltd for FY 2022-23 have been rejected due to non-achievement of eligibility threshold criteria," the DoT ...