The working group for the 12th Five-Year Plan on telecom has suggested the grant of infrastructure status for the sector, besides the creation of a Telecom Finance Corporation that will facilitate the firms to access funds at competitive rates.

Call for infra status

Business Standard

Regular rate increases, coupled with resumed lending by banks and other financial institutions, might save power distribution companies (discoms) from a situation such as the one that happened 10 years ago, when the government had to organise a rescue package.

Costlier power needed to rescue discoms

The lifetime-validity schemes that once led to explosive growth in subscriber base for the mobile telephony industry did not last a lifetime. As all telecom operators have started a drive to clean up &lsquo;inactive&rsquo; numbers, the lifetime prepaid cards (which had to be recharged once in six months, without any usage conditions) are being disconnected in the event of no usage for two months. For new subscribers, there is a pre-set condition of usage now.

Lifetime validity extinct amid action on dormant numbers

State-run power producer National Thermal Power Corposration (NTPC) plans to foray into power distribution across the country in a big way.

NTPC plans to foray into power distribution

A three-hour board meeting of Unitech Wireless, the first one after former chairman Sanjay Chandra got bail in the alleged 2G telecom spectrum scam, ended on a note of disagreement between the two partners, according to people with direct knowledge of the development. The joint venture partners, Norwegian telco Telenor and Indian realtor Unitech, have been in the midst of a shareholders&rsquo; dispute over many issues, including funding.

Mansi Taneja

Mansi Taneja

Page 29 - Mansi Taneja

Call for infra status

Costlier power needed to rescue discoms

Lifetime validity extinct amid action on dormant numbers

NTPC plans to foray into power distribution

Minds fail to meet at Uninor board meet