Telecom Industry

Indian telcos bet on AI networks to drive revenue growth, infras upgrades

The study found that 67 per cent of Indian respondents "strongly agree" that AI-driven network services will be the primary driver of revenue growth over the next three to five years

Vodafone Idea's customer tide turns after long slump: Trai data

The six months from February through July mark a sharp reversal for Vi. During the preceding six months, the carrier lost more than 3.6 million customers

Airtel adds 2.68 mn mobile users in July, Jio sees 2.44 mn net additions

Bharti Airtel led the industry's July mobile subscriber growth with 26.8 lakh net additions, while India's largest telecom operator Reliance Jio, gained 24.4 lakh new users, sector regulator TRAI's monthly subscription data showed on Friday. Vodafone Idea, too, added mobile users -- its net adds stood at 2.4 lakh for July. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) posted an increase of 1.68 lakh wireless subscribers during the month. During July 2026, the Indian wireless market expanded by 55.38 lakh mobile subscribers -- its base surged to 128.79 crore by the end of July, up from 128.23 crore from the previous month. "As per the information received from 1,562 operators for the month of July 2026, the total number of broadband subscribers increased from 1087.50 million (108.75 crore) at the end of June 2026 to 1094.48 million (109.44 crore) at the end of July 2026 with a monthly growth rate of 0.64 per cent," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in its latest report on

SC dismisses Centre's review plea in GST ITC case vs Airtel, Indus

Court finds no error in its August 2025 ruling allowing ITC on telecom tower infrastructure

Telecom dept starts process to disband Digital Communication Commission

The Department of Telecom has begun the process of disbanding the Digital Communication Commission, formerly known as the Telecom Commission, the apex inter-ministerial body formed to make decisions on policy matters and subjects with significant financial implications. The body comprises the Telecom Secretary as its Chairman, four full-time members, who are ex-officio Secretaries to the Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications and four part-time members who are the secretaries to the Government of India in the concerned Departments. "The process for seeking cabinet nod to dissolve the Digital Communication Commission has started," an official source told PTI. Among the ex-officio secretaries, the post of member (technology) and member (services) are lying vacant and the government has no plans to fill them. Member (Finance) Manish Sinha will superannuate in February 2027, the source said. Formed in 1989, the Telecom Commission was renamed as Digital Communicati

Telecom could drive India's next manufacturing leap, NITI Aayog says

India's telecom equipment sector could become a $50 billion export hub by 2035, while chemicals, textiles and solar PV offer further manufacturing opportunities

Bharti Airtel's tariff plan changes may benefit Vodafone Idea more

Airtel's withdrawal of select prepaid plans could lift its ARPU, but analysts say Vodafone Idea may gain more if it follows with a similar tariff rejig

Telecom subscriber base rises to 1.3 bn in June, Airtel leads growth: Trai

Telecom subscriber base in the country increased marginally to 134.8 crore in June, driven by net addition of subscribers on the networks of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday. Bharti Airtel led subscriber growth during the month, adding 31.63 lakh users compared with May. The additions included 29.89 lakh mobile subscribers and 1.73 lakh fixed-line connections. It was followed by Reliance Jio which reported a net addition of 22.91 lakh subscribers, comprising 21.46 lakh in mobile segment and 1.44 lakh in fixed line segment. Together, the two private telecom operators accounted for 54.54 lakh, or about 87 per cent, of the total net addition of 62 lakh subscribers in June. "The number of total telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,343.1 million at the end of May 2026 to 1,348.08 million at the end of June 2026, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.37 per cent," sector regulator TRA

Jio Platforms Q1 results: Profit rises 9.2% to ₹7,764 cr, revenue up 12%

Upcoming IPO an important milestone in Jio's journey: Mukesh Ambani

Truecaller committed to working with Trai, Meity, DoT on spam issue: CEO

He added that constructive engagement with the authorities remains central to the company's approach

Financial services, data, cloud, are Airtel's next growth drivers: Mittal

Chairman Sunil Mittal says Airtel will build on digital infrastructure investments by expanding financial services, data centres and Airtel Cloud as key long-term growth engines

India's telecom market may be nearing saturation: What drives growth next?

With tele-density nearing saturation levels, telecom operators may have to rely less on adding users and more on monetising data, broadband and digital services

Chip woes stretch planning cycles: Ericsson India MD Nitin Bansal

Rising component costs, chip shortages and supply-chain uncertainties are forcing Ericsson to extend planning horizons to up to five years from 18-36 months

Regulator likely to take benign view of Bharti Airtel postpaid plan

Trai is inclined to view Airtel's 5G priority postpaid plans as compliant with net-neutrality norms, while continuing to monitor their impact on users

Delhi High Court upholds Trai's cap for TV ads at 12 minutes per hour

The High Court ruled that TRAI acted within its statutory powers and that the advertising cap strikes a balance between broadcasters' commercial interests and viewers' rights

Volume buzzers: HFCL, Apollo Micro soar up to 13%; up over 100% since April

With record order book of ₹21,200 crore, favourable industry tailwinds, and continued focus on high-value products and global markets, HFCL remains confident of sustaining this growth momentum.

Telecom service providers require tariff hikes to stem Arpu decline

The impact on Vodafone Idea (Vi) could be harsher with a 15 per cent hit on Ebitda, and a delay in tariff could also push the next round to further than July 2029

DoT extends AGR dues reassessment timeline for Vodafone Idea till June

The telecom department expects that AGR reassessment for Vodafone Idea -- which recently received government relief for its dues and liabilities -- will be completed by June, sources said. The reassessment was earlier targeted for completion by March 31. Sources said the review of Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) is on, following the internal licence fee reassessment by Controller of Communication Accounts. Accordingly, the timeline has been extended to June, sources said. The Union Cabinet has given relief to Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) based on the Supreme Court order and 'frozen' its Adjusted Gross Revenue or AGR dues at Rs 87,695 crore for a period ranging from FY 2006-07 to FY 2018-19. The 'frozen' dues are subject to reassessment. The amount excludes those AGR dues of FY 201718 and FY 201819 which stand finalised by the apex court's 2020 order and payable in accordance. Replying to a Lok Sabha question in early February this year, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani

Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices pay ₹13,000 crore AGR dues to DoT

Airtel and Tata Teleservices pay over Rs 13,000 crore in AGR dues to DoT ahead of deadline, as four-year moratorium ends and telecom firms begin staggered repayments

Trai imposes graded penalties for failure to file tariffs in time

Trai tightens compliance norms with graded penalties and interest for delays in tariff reporting by telecom service providers