Department Of Telecommunications

NCLAT rejects DoT plea against Rolta resolution plan over ₹469 crore dues

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has dismissed the appeal filed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) challenging the resolution plan for debt-ridden Rolta India Ltd, holding that the plan has already been approved and implemented. The DoT had challenged the resolution plan approved by NCLT while claiming statutory dues of Rs 469.09 crore towards unpaid licence fees. A three-member NCLAT bench upheld the order of the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which on December 15, 2025, approved the Rs 900-crore resolution plan submitted by Ashdan Properties for Rolta India, a multinational technology company. The tribunal observed that Rolta's resolution plan had already been implemented, with the NCLT closing the company petition on February 2, 2026. Moreover, DoT never raised the issue of categorisation of its claims before the NCLT during hearings. "The resolution process having attained finality and the plan having been acted upon, ...

Vodafone Idea gets ₹26.83 crore DoT notice over spectrum rollout delay

The Telecom Department has issued a notice to Vodafone Idea for payment of Rs 26.83 crore in liquidated damages, citing alleged default in minimum rollout obligations in respect of spectrum allocated under auctions of 2022, the telco said on Saturday. The company said it is reviewing the notice received on Friday (July 31) and evaluating next steps. On the details of the notice, issued by the Department of Telecom, Vodafone Idea (VIL) in a BSE filing said that this is for payment of "liquidated damages amounting to Rs 26.83 crore for alleged default in compliance of minimum rollout obligations in respect of spectrum allocated under Spectrum Auction conducted in 2022". The violation pertains to network rollout obligations as specified under the Notice Inviting Applications 2022 (the bid document), which needs to be complied with once the spectrum is assigned. Vodafone Idea, however, said there is no financial or other impact on operations. "The company is reviewing the notice and .

India's first Telecom Manufacturing Zone to be set up in Gwalior

India signed an MoU with Madhya Pradesh to establish the country's first Telecom Manufacturing Zone in Gwalior with ₹493 crore central support

Govt bars communication infra providers from sharing data outside India

Under a new authorisation framework notified by the Department of Telecommunications, all telecommunication data, logs and information associated with telecom networks must be stored within country

TV, radio licensees can opt for new Telecom Act regime: Draft rules

The Centre's draft Telecom Rules consolidate TV and radio guidelines and allow existing licensees to voluntarily migrate to the new authorisation framework

DoT notifies rules for new authorisation regime aims to ease compliance

DoT notifies a unified telecom authorisation framework, replacing multiple licences and mandating AI-driven fraud prevention measures

Priority postpaid plans compliant with net-neutrality norms: Airtel

The telecom operator told the government its priority postpaid plans are compliant with TRAI and DoT norms and do not degrade service quality for prepaid users

Trai's long tryst with emergency calls still remains a work in progress

This historical context is worth recalling amid the overwhelming response to the government's latest mobile siren experiment as a disaster management measure

DoT sets up 2-member committee to reassess Vodafone Idea's AGR dues

AGR reassessment comes as part of DoT's January relief package, with dues frozen at ₹87,695 crore and payments deferred till FY36

Vodafone Idea to get five-year lifeline on AGR dues of ₹87.7K crore

Dues frozen as of December 31, 2025 will be reassessed under DoT's deduction verification process, with repayments proposed from FY32; Vi says it has received no communication

DoT seeks approval to add 23,000 BSNL base stations next financial year

Total BTS number may rise to 123,000, approval sought from govt

1 in 2 people believe DoT's SIM-binding rule will cause disruption: Survey

LocalCircles' nationwide survey finds half of consumers expect disruptions from DoT's SIM-binding mandate, while 7 in 10 international travellers fear problems using messaging apps abroad

From rank 127 to No 1 on App Store, Sanchar Saathi gains amid outrage

An app nobody noticed, until everyone did. Political heat and curiosity pushed it to the top in downloads. How long before the slide?

Sanchar Saathi app downloads jump 10 times on Dec 2; up from 60K to 600K

The government's cyber security and safety app Sanchar Saathi recorded a 10-fold jump in downloads on Tuesday, rising from a daily average of around 60,000 to nearly 6 lakh, DoT sources said on Wednesday. The number of downloads jumped even as Opposition leaders and a section of industry experts criticised the Department of Telecom order to mandatorily pre-install the app on all mobile phones alleging that it is meant for "snooping" and violating privacy of citizens. "There has been very good response to the Sanchar Saathi App from the public suddenly. The download on a single day jumped 10 times to around 6 lakh from an average of 60,000 a day," a DoT source, who did not wished to be named, told PTI. According to official data, 1.5 crore people have already downloaded the app even before the order was issued. The order dated November 28, mandates all mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app in all handsets to be sold in India as well as in existing devices thro

'Sanchar Saathi is optional, user can delete it': Govt issues clarification

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified that Sanchar Saathi is optional, following uproar over the government mandate asking phone makers to pre-install the app to help curb cyber fraud

New rule may force WhatsApp to log you out every 6 hours, here’s why

A directive from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will soon change how messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal work.

What is Sanchar Saathi app and why govt wants it on every mobile phone?

The government mandated all manufacturers to ensure that the government's Sanchar Saathi mobile application is pre-installed on all mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India

Unconstitutional: Congress slams mandatory Sanchar Saathi pre-installation

The Congress on Monday rejected the directions of the Department of Telecommunications on pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app in new mobile handsets as unconstitutional, and demanded its immediate rollback. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said that the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty. Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT direction is beyond unconstitutional. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution. A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen, Venugopal said in a post on X. The move, he alleged, is part of the long series of "relentless assaults" on the Constitutional rights of Indian citizens, which will not be allowed to continue. We reject this direction and demand its immediate ...

DoT tightens fraud rules: Pre-install Sanchar Saathi, bind OTT apps to SIM

Telecom operators want SMS-based OTP to become the primary authentication layer for financial transactions as DoT moves to tighten security

Experts on DoT mandate: SIM binding for OTTs unlikely to curb fraud

Industry and policy experts warn the new rules could upend user experience while doing little to curb cyber fraud