Telecom Sector In India

The government has supported Vi in many ways so that the sector does not slip into a duopoly

Reduction in AGR dues may improve Vodafone Idea's ability to raise funds, but rising spectrum payment obligations from FY27 remain a key concern for analysts

Despite PM-WANI's push, India's public WiFi expansion faces weak business models and poor infrastructure, raising questions over its long-term digital relevance

Emkay Global has retained its 'Reduce' rating on Bharti Airtel stock despite Africa Ebitda upgrade, citing Arpu risks, valuations, and Jio IPO impact on investor flows and competition

Tower firms rely on diesel generators to power sites in non-grid remote, rural areas

Ind-Ra says telcos need a Rs 35-40 ARPU increase to achieve 15% ROCE, indicating another round of tariff hikes even as profitability improves and capex intensity falls across the sector

BSNL targets 5G soft launch in Delhi within six months, expands AI-led network optimisation and rural edge infrastructure as 4G rollout nears completion

Budget estimates project telecom sector revenues at ₹1.17 trillion in FY27, lower than revised FY26 levels, reflecting spectrum equity conversions and capped AGR payments despite expected auction and

Telecom regulator TRAI has empanelled RANext Technologies as a Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA), to evaluate the digital connectivity infrastructure of properties, a release said on Wednesday. The ratings will be conducted from a user-centric, real-world perspective, covering key assessment areas including fibre infrastructure standards, in-building connectivity, broadband and Wi-Fi performance within premises and preparedness for future smart technologies. "...RANext Technologies has been empanelled by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as a Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA), reinforcing its role in shaping digitally ready real estate across the country," the release said. As a TRAI-authorised rating agency, RANext Technologies will evaluate the digital infrastructure of properties to ensure seamless connectivity and readiness for current and emerging smart technologies. The release noted that India's rapid transition into a digital-first economy has

State-owned NHAI on Tuesday said it has sought urgent intervention from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Trai to improve mobile network connectivity on National Highways. NHAI in a statement said as part of a comprehensive assessment undertaken by the state-owned agency, 424 locations covering about 1,750 km across the National Highway network have been identified as critically affected due to non-availability of the mobile network connectivity. "Identifying critical mobile network connectivity issues across several stretches of National Highways, NHAI has sought the intervention of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to issue appropriate directions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for addressing non-availability of the mobile network connectivity on several stretches of National Highways, particularly on greenfield and remote sections," it said. Emphasising public safety implications and the strategic ...

Entry of new communications service providers in the form of satcom created a spark in the sector with Elon Musk-led Starlink getting permission to start services but pending security clearance and delay in decision over spectrum pricing have pushed its potential roll out to the next year. Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told PTI that satcom services, which were earlier a figment of imagination, will be a reality soon. "We have given out three licences. You are looking at, hopefully, very soon, the pricing norm coming out for administratively assigned spectrum and that satellite technology being also offered in our bouquet of offerings to the public," Scindia said. Entry of Starlink is expected to add to the competition in the premium segment, which is dominated by telecom operators -- mainly Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. The government has been making an effort to revive Vodafone Idea (VIL) and BSNL to check the market from getting into a duopoly and continue to keep

Trai has recommended a flat backhaul spectrum charge of 0.1 per cent of adjusted gross revenue, replacing the current weighted-average method that has pushed annual levies

Starlink plans to roll out satellite internet in India with retail plans targeting rural, maritime, aviation, and enterprise sectors after securing licences and regulatory approvals

Amid the Sanchar Saathi application row, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling and asserted that the government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days. Responding to questions on the issue outside Parliament, Tharoor said, "I have not studied the issue in detail but common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary. Everyone who needs them should be able to download them." "Making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling. But I need to look more into the logic of the government. The government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order that the media reports. We need to have a discussion where the government explains wh

This is not the first time that the Union government is considering a relief measure for the financially stressed telco

State-owned telecom firm BSNL achieved 93 per cent of its target revenue at Rs 5,347 crore for September quarter FY26, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday. After the quarterly review of BSNL, the minister said the company's revenue for the first half of current fiscal stood at Rs 11,134 crore. "This quarter we have achieved a 93 per cent revenue run rate vis-a-vis our target. So we had set a target of Rs 5,740 crore, we've achieved Rs 5,347 crore. So, we are very close to a rather bold target that we had set for ourselves based on last year's jump in earnings," Scindia said. The minister said there is a target to increase BSNL's revenue by 20 per cent for full fiscal year to Rs 27,500 crore. "Our ARPU is also increased. It was Rs 81 in Q1 of this year, it's increased to Rs 91 in Q2 of this year. So there's been a 12 per cent improvement in ARPU," the minister said. Average revenue per user (ARPU) is a key metrics to measure growth of a telecom operator. T

Indian telecom services are among the top three globally and efforts are on to further improve them, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday. He said that more stringent norms for monitoring quality of service at cell level has been put in place from October 1. "It will not be an exaggeration to say that Indian telecom services are among top 3 nations and our efforts are on to improve them further," the minister said. Telecom regulator Trai has implemented norms that were used to measure quality of services at circle level to cell level. The minister said that telecom operators have submitted first report based on new norms and discussions are on to resolve issues where their quality of service is not as per the benchmark.

The plea of Vodafone sought directions to quash the additional demand of AGR dues, saying that it belonged to the pre-2016-17 period that had been settled by the Supreme Court's earlier ruling

Artificial intelligence will make telecom networks self-healing and improve customer services, telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal said on Saturday. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2025, Mittal said that the government is trying to keep up pace with the fast-evolving technological landscape and come up with the organised response as a country along with ITU (International Telecommunication Union) to see the manner in which AI and telecom developments can be harmonised for good. "As we move from 5G to 6G, There is a tremendous role for AI to improve the intelligence in the networks, make them self-healing, move from generative AI to agentic AI, where both in the front end, deep in the network, and in the middle part of the network, there will be a lot of functions which AI will replace, make the customer service better," Mittal said. According to telecom industry players, 6G trials are expected to start in 2028 and commercial deployment will take some more time. Mittal said while

Telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says India's telecom vision goes far beyond 5G, with focus on 6G innovation, Satcom expansion and homegrown tech capacity