Page 2 - Telecom Companies

Telcos eye 6G rollout with AI-driven network amid ongoing 5G deployment

6G is expected to heavily depend on artificial intelligence, with experts predicting that artificial intelligence algorithms will play a central role in driving the 6G networks autonomously

DoT plans to update trade codes for telco gear for better tracking

Trai wants HSN codes updated to better identify products & trade

Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea deposit Rs 4,350 cr ahead of spectrum auctions

Reliance Jio had a net worth of Rs 2.31 trillion followed by Airtel with Rs 86,260 crore, DoT said. Vodafone Idea had a negative net worth of Rs 1.16 trillion

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise eyes €100 million revenue from India in 3-5 years

Headquartered in Paris, France, ALE has a presence in more than 50 countries globally. In India, the company has around 250 employees

Telecom subscriber base rises by 5.6 mn in March 2024, led by Jio, Airtel

Reliance Jio clocked in 3.6 million new subscribers and Bharti Airtel added 2.8 million subscribers in March 2024, while Vodafone Idea loss 0.6 million

Nokia India posts 69% decline in sales at Rs 2,360 cr in March quarter

Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia posted a 69 per cent decline in India sales to 265 million euros, about Rs 2,360 crore, in the March quarter due to moderating 5G rollout in the country. The company had posted net sales of 853 million euros in the year-ago period. "Net sales in APAC declined strongly in the quarter, mainly due to Mobile Networks and Network Infrastructure. Within APAC (Asia Pacific), India net sales declined reflecting the normalisation of 5G investments in the region after significant deployments in the year-ago quarter," Nokia said. The lower spending levels in India and North America led to a 37 per cent decline in sales of Nokia's mobile network at the global level. "A slower pace of spending in India was anticipated following the rapid 5G deployment seen in H1 (first half) 2023, and our expectations for India for the full year remain unchanged," Nokia President and CEO Pekka Lundmark said. Nokia's overall net sales fell 20 per cent to 4.6 billion euros during

Voda Idea gets board nod to raise Rs 2,075 cr from Aditya Birla group

Debt-ridden telecom firm Vodafone Idea on Saturday said its board has approved raising of Rs 2,075 crore from promoter Aditya Birla group and increasing its authorised share capital to Rs 1 lakh crore. The company will seek shareholders' approval at an extraordinary general meeting on May 8 on the proposals, it said in a regulatory filing. The Vodafone Idea board has approved "issuance of up to 1,395,427,034 equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each at an issue price of Rs 14.87 per equity share (including a premium of Rs 4.87 per equity share), aggregating to Rs 2,075 crore to Oriana Investments Pte. Ltd (Aditya Birla Group entity forming part of the promoter group), on a preferential basis," the filing said. The board also approved an increase in the authorised share capital of the company from existing Rs 75,000 crore, divided into Rs 70,000 crore equity share capital and Rs 5,000 crore preference share capital, to Rs 1 lakh crore, the filing said. The increased authorised share

Growing interest: FMCG, telcos on foreign portfolio investors hot list

Analysts said large part of the flows into the FMCG sector were due to the block deal in ITC, where the British American Tobacco (BAT) sold a 3.5 per cent stake for around Rs 17,000 crore

Spectrum auction to be a muted affair as telcos already hold key bands

Loss of appetite: The spectrum auction this year could be a muted affair, with telcos' hunger for airwaves ebbing away after the feasts of 2010 and 2022

SC rules companies need not deduct tax for discounted SIM cards sales

This means that telecom companies need not deduct TDS for selling pre-paid SIM cards to their distributors at a rate below the market price

Here's how Centre is gearing up BSNL to compete with private telecom peers

The measures include network upgradation, employee cost rationalisation and a proposal to provide more value-added services

Telecom Bill 2023: Here are 10 important changes that will impact you

Telecommunications Bill: If any mobile user has more than nine SIM cards issued on one Aadhaar card, they will be penalised up to Rs 50,000 for the first time and Rs 2 lakh for subsequent offences

ITU reaches global agreement to open new 6 GHz spectrum band for 5G, 6G

Telecom operators will be able to use 6 GHz band radiowaves for 5G and 6G services, with majority of the member countries of the International Telecommunication Union(ITU) agreeing to a global accord in this regard. The agreement was reached at the ongoing ITU spectrum meet WRC 2023 in Dubai. According to ITU-recognised body IAFI, spectrum in 6 Ghz band has last set of radio frequencies available that can be used for 5G and 6G services at affordable costs while other set of frequencies marked for them are in higher frequency bands. The wavelength of spectrum frequencies reduces in higher frequency bands, thereby reducing coverage of signals transmitted in high frequency bands. Therefore, telecom operators are required to install more transmitters or towers in higher frequency bands compared to lower frequency band and the cost of deployment network in respective bands also varies. "The World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23), ITU's premier event, which is held every four

DGCA rejects telcos' proposal to provide 5G services on airport premises

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the frequency can interfere with aircraft altimetre and cause disruptions

License fee by telecoms to be treated as capex not revenue expenditure: SC

This decision overturns previous rulings by the Delhi, Bombay, and Karnataka High Courts, which had favoured the telecom firms

50% willing to make 5G shift want to spend less than Rs 20K: Ericsson

While telecom companies are yet to raise tariffs for 5G, the report said 40 percent of users are also willing to pay more for higher volumes of data

Revenue share demands by internet-telcos like rent-seeking: IAMAI

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has said demands made by telcos for revenue sharing mechanisms between internet companies and telecom service providers (TSPs) "smack of rent-seeking", and would disincentivise growth for OTT-based businesses. According to IAMAI, by requiring largest OTT service providers to pay TSPs for data used by consumers, the telecom players would effectively be charging twice for the same service, since they already charge consumers for data. "In any case, 'surging data traffic' is merely data consumed by consumers that they have already purchased from telecom companies. Therefore, the 'strain' on infrastructure of TSPs occurs when they sell data to consumers beyond their infrastructural capacity a fact that has been conveniently ignored," IAMAI said in a statement. The association said that demands for imposing revenue-sharing mechanisms between internet companies and TSPs "smack of rent-seeking". IAMAI called out demands made by the ...

No plans for OTTs sharing revenue with telecom companies, says govt

They point to an ICRIER report which has said that OTTs should contribute towards the network costs of telcos and not continue to ride for free

Cable cos seek autonomy in pricing; IB ministry forwards request to Trai

According to Trai's new tariff order (NTO) regime, distributors can not break broadcaster bouquets and must offer them to customers without making any changes

Trai directs annual audit for telcos, asks to refund overcharged tariff

The audit has to be conducted by a panel of auditors notified by Trai. Non-compliance or failure to submit the report can result in monetary penalties that can go up to Rs 50 lakh