Page 2 - Telcos

Telcos dial into caller ID service trials to combat rising spam calls

Telecom operators are assessing the feasibility of CNAP, where both number and caller name will be displayed during incoming calls

Tata Elxsi, Red Hat ink pact to boost telco network monetisation; stk up 2%

The uptick in share price came after Tata Elxsi announced that it has collaborated with Red Hat to boost telecom network monetisation

COAI renews demand for revenue share between telcos, traffic generator apps

Telecom industry body COAI renewed its demand for revenue share between telcos and large traffic generator apps like Netflix and Instagram, saying telecom operators would need additional fund to upgrade infrastructure to meet the increasing demand for bandwidth. In a letter to telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said it is imperative that the Indian government takes critical note of the issue facing the telecom sector at this juncture and help create "an apt precedent for the world". The telecom industry body also said that substantial investments are required to be made by telcos for GPU (graphic processing unit)-based high-speed servers to support demand of AI-based applications as well as high definition video streaming by several apps that are also referred as larger traffic generators (LTGs). Large traffic generator apps include YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Netflix, etc. LTGs, it suggested, need to share their revenue with telcos for

DoT asks telcos to suspend USSD-based call forwarding, switch to other mode

The Department of Telecom has asked telecom operators to deactivate USSD-based call forwarding with effect from April 15 and move to alternative methods to re-activate it, an official order said. Mobile subscribers use USSD service just by dialling any active code on their phone screens. The service is often used for checking IMEI numbers and mobile phone balances, among others. The order has been issued to check frauds and online crimes that are operated through mobile phones. In an order dated March 28, the DoT said that it has come to its notice that USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) based call forwarding facility, most commonly known *401# services for unconditional call forwarding services, is being misused for some unwarranted activities. "In this regard, it has been decided by the competent authority that all licensees shall discontinue the existing USSD-based call forwarding services with effect from April 15, 2024, till further notice. "All existing subscribe

Telcos made Rs 10,000 crore extra capex to support large apps: COAI

Telecom operators are estimated to have spent an additional Rs 10,000 crore in 2022-23 to support traffic generated by large entertainment and communication apps, according to an estimate of telecom industry body COAI. Cellular Operators Association of India, Director General, SP Kochhar told PTI that the infrastructure support provided by telecom operators to top 4-5 apps large traffic generator apps also corresponds to their revenue growth and in the absence of fair share norms for large apps, the government has lost about Rs 800 crore revenue in 2023 alone. He said that the industry body has submitted a white paper to the Ministry of Finance in this regard in January. "The additional capex required to provide the infrastructure to carry the LTG-related data traffic for the year 2023 alone amounts to around Rs 10,000 crore. Accordingly, the proposed fair share to TSPs on the amount would have resulted in enhancing AGR-related licence fees and USOF levies (combined 8 per cent of A

Corporate India on overdrive to celebrate Ram Mandir inauguration

Some are offering a part of their profits as donations, telcos are beefing up the number of cellular towers to ensure better connectivity, and there are those distributing jalebis and food platters

Telcos gross revenue rises 5.8%, govt spectrum usage charge declines 59%

Telecom service providers gross revenue increased by 5.88 per cent on a year-on-year basis to Rs 80,899 crore during the quarter ended June 2023, sector regulator Trai said on Tuesday. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Performance Indicator Report, the gross revenue declined 5.22 per cent on a quarterly basis from Rs 85,356 crore registered in March 2023 quarter. The applicable gross revenue (ApGR) and adjusted gross revenue (AGR), on which government share of revenue is calculated, increased by 6.17 per cent and 8.42 per cent to Rs 78,349 crore and Rs 65,354 crore, respectively, according to the report. Gross Revenue (GR) decreased by 5.22 per cent, Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR) fell by 0.36 per cent and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) increased by 1.75 per cent during the quarter ended June 2023. On YoY basis, GR increased by 5.88 per cent, ApGR rose by 6.17 per cent and AGR increased by 8.42 per cent in the quarter ended June 2023, the report said. The

War between OTT and telecom companies drives COAI to track data use

Confirming the move, S P Kochar, director general of COAI, said that the aim is to put the information in public domain for all stakeholders and also for the government

I-T dept may raise tax demand retrospectively from telcos: Analysts

The Supreme Court has set aside a Delhi High Court order of December 2013 and ruled that the licence fees paid by telecom operators should be treated as a capital expense

Supreme Court ruling on telcos may be a one-time hit, say analysts

Say I-T demand for shortfall in taxes for the prior period, along with applicable penalties, is likely

No plan to share revenue of OTT platforms with telcos, says govt: Report

Telecom firms have been asking OTT platforms to share their revenues with the telecom service providers as some apps have begun to provide bandwidth-heavy offerings

ARPU of Indian telcos to rise 8-10% to Rs 190 this year, says CRISIL

CRISIL added that the operating profits of these companies could record a 15 to 17 per cent rise to Rs 1.2 trillion this year from Rs 1.04 trillion in 2021-22

Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel may increase their headcount by 25% in FY24

Reliance Jio's total headcount at FY23 end was 95,326; Airtel's headcount was 64,407; and Vodafone Idea's was 15,604

High MNP demand, 5G competition to drive up telcos' marketing expenses

A total of 10.95 million MNP requests were submitted in April, bringing the cumulative number of MNP requests to 830.65 million from 819.70 million at the end of March

Trai to update quality of service parameters soon; to meet telcos next mnth

Telecom regulator to meet telcos on call drop, network issues next month

TMS Ep458: Biparjoy cyclone, JioCinema, equity markets, MQ-9B drone

What are the economic implications of Biparjoy? After telcos, is Jio coming for OTTs? Where to invest as markets trade near record highs? What is the MQ-9B 'predator-B' drone? Answers here

Extend mandatory equipment testing deadline: Telecom operators to govt

Guidelines to come into effect on July 1 but companies seek one-year extension

Satellite spectrum sale will crumble rare resource, bar newer players: ISpA

Tussle over spectrum has intensified between satcom players and telcos as govt gears up to take a call on the issue

Onus on you to find 5G viability: Govt to telecom service providers

'Can't seek lower levy due to high cost of 5G infra'

Trai gives telcos 30 days to check misuse of telemarketing templates

Regulator Trai on Friday directed telecom operators to take action against misuse of telemarketing messages templates within 30 days to curb pesky messages. The regulator in the direction said that it has noticed some telemarketers are misusing headers and content templates of enterprises. "Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) is a major source of inconvenience to the public and impinges on the privacy of individuals and Trai has been taking various steps to curb it. Today, Trai has issued a direction to stop misuse of message templates under Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018)," the regulator said. Instead of mobile numbers, the authorised telemarketing messages display headers which is indicative of the company from which it has come. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed telecom operators to make changes in the code of practices (CoPs) around headers and content templates of telemarketing messages und