Page 13 - Telecom Industry

Vodafone Idea slumps 9% ahead of telecom company listing new shares

Firm's FPO saw nearly seven times more demand than shares on offer

'Auction route for spectrum to continue, admin allocation in limited cases'

The government will continue to auction telecom spectrum, and the administrative allocation route will be used sparingly, only in those cases where it is technically not feasible to do so or for areas that are strategic in nature, sources said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) is gearing up to hold the next round of spectrum auction on June 6 for eight spectrum bands (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz) meant for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. The spectrum will be assigned for 20 years and successful bidders will be allowed to make payments in 20 equal annual instalments in the coming mega auction. Sources asserted that the spectrum for mobile services will continue to be given through the auction process. As enacted in the Telecom Act, 2023, only a very limited and narrowly defined cases, including spectrum for walkie-talkie for police organisations, radar for weather forecasting, radar and communicat

Jio Q4 results: Net up 12% at Rs 5.5K cr on strong subscriber growth

Jio claims to have highest 5G subscriber base of any telco outside China, but ARPU remains Rs 181.7

Sanjay Mashruwala resigns as MD of Reliance Jio with effect from June 9

Sanjay Mashruwala, one of the two managing directors at Reliance Jio, has resigned from the company, the firm said in a stock exchange filing. Mashruwala, 76, has been a key executive with Reliance since founder Dhirubhai Ambani's times and has been involved with several of its projects and business initiatives. He will leave Jio effective from June 9, the firm said. Pankaj Mohan Pawar, the other managing director, will continue, according to a BSE filing. "This is to inform that Sanjay Mashruwala, Managing Director, has tendered his resignation as Director of the company, effective from June 9, 2024," the filing said. Mashruwala, 76, is an accomplished professional and has been the Managing Director of the company since 2013. "The Board placed on record its appreciation for the contributions made by Sanjay Mashruwala in the transformative journey of the company," it said.

Over 50% internet users dissatisfied with data speeds, connectivity: Survey

Despite India's low-cost and expanding internet accessibility, a recent survey found that over half of internet users are dissatisfied with data speeds and experience connection issues. An overwhelming 70 per cent of these users expressed the desire to switch service providers, the survey said. According to the annual broadband survey by LocalCircles, 86 per cent of users in India primarily connect to the internet at home via fiber, broadband, DSL, or fixed-line connection. However, more than half of these users -- 56 per cent -- reported connection disruption or lower speeds than what they were promised or paying for. The survey, which gathered insights from over 70,000 broadband and fiber consumers across 286 Indian districts, revealed that 39 per cent of respondents said the the "speed received is much lower than what we are paying for", while 47 per cent claimed that it took over 24 hours for their service provider to resolve their complaints. As per the survey, "70 per cent ..

Centre to decide on Vodafone Idea's debt conversion after moratorium

The decision to convert principal dues into equity, according to sources, cannot be done automatically

Voda Idea CEO hopes to arrest telco's subscriber loss with FPO, fundraise

Buoyed by investors like GQG lapping up shares reserved for anchor investors, Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra on Wednesday expressed confidence that the FPO will sail through, providing the loss-making telco funds for network expansion that he hoped will help arrest the loss of subscribers. In an interview with PTI, the top honcho said the just-concluded anchor book allocation that drew in big global and domestic names has been a "good start" and gives VIL confidence about the progress of the fundraising exercise. Moondra said he does not believe that Vodafone-Idea's "somewhat later entry" into 5G would impact the telco in the long run. In fact, the company has the benefit of learning from how the market has evolved in the last 1-1.5 years since the launch of 5G and accordingly calibrate and fine-tune its investments in this space. The VIL CEO asserted the significant need for a tariff correction, saying the industry has not been returning the cost of capital even in the 4G era, a

GQG looking to invest around $400 million in ailing Vodafone-Idea

The $2.2 billion share sale, which will start on April 18 and close April 22, has a floor price of 10 rupees (12 cents) per share and a ceiling price of 11 rupees

Vi expects 5G rollout in 6-9 months after FPO worth Rs 18,000 crore

Ahead of its Rs 18,000 crore further public offer (FPO), Vodafone Idea on Monday said it expects to roll out 5G services in select pockets in 6-9 months of the issue. Its Chief Executive Akshaya Moondra said rollout of the 5G services is one of the objectives of raising the capital from the public and once the funding comes, it will start work on the rollout. The 5G rollout will cover 40 per cent of the company's overall revenue base in the next 24-30 months, Moondra said, without sharing a specific target on when the rollout will happen. A sum of Rs 5,720 crore has been allocated for the rollout, he said, adding that testing and vendor conversations have already begun. However, he did not specify the locations where the rollout will happen. It can be noted that both its rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio -- to whom it has ceded market share -- have been active on 5G for some months now. Moondra said the company has not been able to roll out 5G services because of lack of ...

DoT to seek Trai's view on satcom spectrum allocation, licensing process

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to approach Trai this month to seek the regulator's views on method and pricing for allocation of spectrum and scope of licences to be issued for satcom services, according to sources. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had floated a consultation paper on "Assignment of Spectrum for Space-based Communication Services" on April 6, 2023 but returned the reference back to DoT after announcement of new Telecommunication Act. "DoT will seek views of Trai on pricing and methodology to allocate spectrum for space based communication services. It may also look to fine-tune existing licences to bring in full clarity on the kind of services that satcom companies with administratively allocated spectrum can provide," a source, who did not wish to be named, told PTI. Satcom or satellite communication technology enables service providers to ensure internet connectivity in remote areas or difficult terrain. Bharti Group-backed

Allow only Indian entities to participate in regulatory sandbox, says Trai

Only Indian nationals or entities should be eligible to participate in telecom regulatory sandboxes that can provide real-time but regulated access to networks and customer resources during product or technology tests, sector regulator Trai recommended on Friday. The Telecommunications Act, 2023, has introduced the provision of setting up multiple regulatory sandboxes. The regulatory sandbox (RS) will emphasise on testing of new products, services, processes, and business models in a live testing environment on a limited set of users for a specified period of time after obtaining certain regulatory relaxations. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended that the Department of Telecom shall put in place an end-to-end digital process to handle RS applications and all related activities, including intimations, approvals, sharing of information, monitoring, reporting requirements etc. "Only Indian nationals or entities will be eligible," Trai said in its recommendatio

Vodafone Idea to launch country's largest $2.16 bn follow-on public offer

The public offering will open for bids on April 18 and close on April 22

Number of telecom subscribers up marginally to 1.197 bn in Feb: Trai

The number of telecom subscribers in India increased 0.38 per cent to 119.7 crore in February 2024 as compared to the previous month, according to a TRAI report published on Monday. The urban telephone subscription increased to 66.37 crore while rural subscription increased to 53.13 crore with a sequential growth rate of 0.40 per cent and 0.34 per cent, respectively. The total broadband subscribers also increased from 91.10 crore at the end of January to 91.67 crore at February-end, as per the monthly subscriber report published by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Top five service providers constituted 98.35 per cent of the total broadband subscribers. The service provider are Reliance Jio Infocomm (52.2 per cent), Bharti Airtel (29.41 per cent), Vodafone Idea (13.80 per cent), BSNL (2.69 per cent), and Atria Convergence (0.24 per cent). All circles in both wireline and wireless segments registered growth in subscriber base in February, the report said. The wireline .

Trai begins consultation on pricing, terms for new spectrum bands

Telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday sought stakeholder views on the auction of new three spectrum bands-- 3737.5 GHz, 37.540 GHz and 42.543.5 GHz for mobile services, as it released a consultation paper to discuss issues related to pricing, validity and payment terms of these radiowaves. This is the first time three spectrum bands in 37-37.5 Ghz, 37.5-40 Ghz and 42.5-43.5 Ghz are being proposed for the auction. The proposal will make available 4,000 Mhz spectrum for 5G services in the future. These blocks are different from the bands -- 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz which that be put on the block in the upcoming spectrum auctions scheduled for June 6. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has today released a Consultation Paper on 'Auction of Spectrum in 37-37.5 GHz, 37.5-40 GHz and 42.5-43.5 GHz bands Identified for IMT," an official release said. TRAI, in the consultation paper, has sought industry's opinion on vari

Vodafone Idea receives shareholders' approval for Rs 20,000 cr fundraising

Proposed financing may go towards Vodafone Idea's long-awaited 5G rollout and fortifying its 4G services

Jio cements market lead with 4.18 mn mobile subscriber addition in Jan

India's largest telecom company Reliance Jio added 41.78 lakh mobile subscribers in January 2024, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday. Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel upped its wireless subscriber count by 7.52 lakh, taking its mobile tally to 38.24 crore in January. Vodafone Idea continued to bleed on the subscriber front, and the troubled telco lost 15.2 lakh wireless subscribers. Its mobile subscriber base stood at 22.15 crore in January, as per TRAI data. Jio cemented its position in the telecom market and added 41.78 lakh wireless subscribers, as the January gains pushed up its mobile users tally to 46.39 crore.

Ericsson to slash 1,200 Swedish jobs in bid to cut costs amid lower sales

The company also plans to cut costs separately by eliminating facilities and the use of consultants and will streamline processes, it said in a statement on Monday

Vi surrenders partial spectrum in Uttar Pradesh east, West Bengal

Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea has surrendered partial spectrum in 900 and 1800 Mhz band that were due for renewal in 2024. While the amount of spectrum surrendered by Vodafone Idea could not be ascertained, sources indicated it to be around 12 megahertz in both bands. When contacted, Vodafone Idea spokesperson said, "Upon assessing our usage and needs, we have surrendered some spectrum in both West Bengal and UP East. We remain committed to providing seamless services to our customers while also focussing on optimising for operational efficiency and future growth". Separately, in an investor presentation, VIL said it has completed the minimum roll out requirement for 5G services in 4 telecom circles, and the company has a target to cover 40 per cent of revenues population coverage with 5G in the first 24-30 months.

Wireless data revenue rises 22% to Rs 1.74 trn in FY23, teledensity down

Revenue from wireless data usage in the country increased by about 22 per cent to Rs 1.74 lakh crore in the financial year 2022-23, a report by telecom regulator Trai said on Tuesday. According to the report, the revenue from wireless data services was Rs 1.43 lakh crore in the financial year 2021-22. "Total revenue from wireless data usage increased from Rs 1,43,169 crore in the year 2021-22 to Rs 1,74,144 crore in the year 2022-23 with yearly rate of growth of 21.63 per cent," Trai's Yearly Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for the year 2022-23 said. The increase in wireless data revenue usage was mainly on account of growth in user base as telecom operators are yet to monetise 5G data services that were launched in October 2022. The gross revenue of telecom service providers increased by 19.94 per cent to over Rs 3.33 lakh crore in FY'23 from Rs 2.78 lakh crore in FY'22. However, the adjusted gross revenue (AGR), based on which the government calculates its levies,

Telecom spectrum auction for 8 bands starts from May 20, says DoT

10,523 MHz up for sale, reserve price of spectrum is Rs 96,317 cr