Page 14 - Telecom Industry

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

SAR Televenture to raise Rs 450 cr via FPO, rights issue to fund expansion

Telecommunication infrastructure provider SAR Televentures Ltd is looking to raise Rs 450 crore through a combination of Further Public Offer (FPO) and a rights issue to fund the company's expansion plans. The Noida-based SAR Televentures, which made its debut on NSE's Emerge platform in November 2023, is engaged in the business of installing and commissioning telecom towers in India. The composite public issue with a face value of Rs 2 consists of a further public offer of Rs 200 crore and a rights issue of Rs 250 crore, according to the draft offer documents filed last week. Proceeds from the issue, to the extent of Rs 273 crore will be used for funding the setting up of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network solutions for 3 lakh home passes; Rs 42.50 crore for setting up of an additional 1,000 number of 4G/5G telecom towers; Rs 30 crore for funding incremental working capital requirement of the company. Besides, funds will be used for general corporate purposes. As part of its strateg

Telecom giants shift focus to tier-based post-paid tariffs to boost revenue

Higher-priced family-pack bundles offer multiple mobile connections, generous data allowances, and subscriptions to popular OTT streaming apps to encourage users to upgrade to higher-ARPU-generation

DoT's new CHAKSU portal to allow citizens to report fraudulent calls

A new Digital Intelligence Portal will help banks, agencies and telecom operators to share data on suspected fraud

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

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

Additional Rs 10,000 crore capex spent on OTT: COAI to Finance Ministry

In a letter to Finance Secretary Somanathan COAI said a fair charge charge would lead to Rs. 800 crore additional tax revenues

HCLSoftware, Intel launch solution to power next generation 5G networks

HCLSoftware, a division of HCL Technologies, on Monday announced a strategic partnership with Intel Corporation to deliver a joint 5G User Plane Function (UPF) acceleration solution, aiming to power the next-generation 5G networks. The joint solution drives cost reduction for operational expenses and capital expenses by up to 80 per cent, the company said in a statement. HCLSoftware 5G UPF Acceleration Solution is a cloud-native software solution incorporating configurable hardware offloading capabilities for both network Edge and Core deployments. It said that the solution improves subscriber user experience and reduces costs for mobile network operators. HCLSoftware collaborated with Viettel Group, a telecom and technology firm based in Vietnam, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the UPF Acceleration Solution. The results showed improved 5G network throughput and reduced latency, ultimately expected to enhance subscriber user experiences and reduce mobile operator costs. "Our 5

Wipro, Nokia partner to provide 5G private wireless corporate solutions

IT services firm Wipro on Monday said it has partnered with Finnish telecom and IT company Nokia to deliver private wireless solutions to enterprises. Through this solution, enterprises will be able to create an integrated private environment that they can control to better manage their performance and mitigate security risks, as per a statement said. Wipro said the joint private wireless solution with Nokia will "help enterprises scale their digital transformation". This joint solution will provide enterprises with a more secure 5G private wireless network solution integrated with their operation infrastructure, it said. "The solution will bring greater reliability, mobility, connectivity speed, real-time access to business insights, and the ability to process high volumes of data with low latency," the statement said. This AI-driven solution will initially be made available to customers in the manufacturing, energy, utilities, transportation, and sports entertainment ...

Truecaller launches premium AI-powered call recording feature in India

Swedish caller identification app Truecaller on Monday announced the launch of AI-powered call recording feature in India that offers transcription and call summary. AI call recording is a paid feature, and will be available with a Truecaller Premium subscription, the company said, adding that it works seamlessly across both Android and iOS devices. The new addition provides users with the ability to record incoming and outgoing calls directly within the Truecaller app. This offers a convenient and efficient way to capture and manage important conversations. Announcing the launch of AI-enabled call recording feature, a company release said that by leveraging Artificial Intelligence technology, Truecaller empowers users to fully engage in their live conversation without the need to be concerned about taking detailed notes, thus improving productivity during calls. "The integration of AI into the newly launched call recording feature marks a significant leap forward, allowing for a .

Tarun Chhabra to replace Sanjay Malik as Nokia India country manager

Finnish IT and tech firm Nokia on Tuesday announced the appointment of Tarun Chhabra as its country manager in India with effect from April 1, 2024. He will replace Sanjay Malik who retires on March 31, 2024. "Tarun Chhabra will continue in his role of Head of Mobile Networks Market India in addition to assuming India Country Manager responsibilities," the company said in a statement. "India is such an important market for Nokia and I believe that, in this new role, I will be able to help our customers to benefit from Nokia's leading technology across our portfolio, at a time when technology is playing a vital role than ever before in the lives of organizations, companies, individuals and societies," Chhabra said.

Farmers' protest: Haryana extends suspension of internet till Feb 20

The Haryana government on Monday further extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts by a day till February 20 in the wake of the farmers' ongoing 'Delhi Chalo' agitation. These districts are Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa, the government said in an order. The government had earlier extended the suspension on February 13, 15 and 17. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation to put pressure on the Centre for their demands, including a law on a minimum support price (MSP) for crops and loan waivers. Thousands of protesting farmers continue to camp at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border to press for their demands. The farmers from Punjab began their march to Delhi on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri points. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then. The ..

Finolex Cables to double optic fibre cable capacity for Rs 580 cr capital

Finolex Cables on Monday signed an agreement with the Maharashtra industries department to invest Rs 580 crore to more than double its optic fibre cables capacity to 10 million fibre km per year as 5G rollout is leading to higher demand for last mile connectivity. Finolex Cables has an existing capacity of 4 million fibre km per year which will touch 10 million fibre km per year after the commissioning of the new plant. The new plant will be solely catering to fibre optic cables, the company said in a statement. The statement did not specify where the project will come up or when the work will begin and be completed. This expansion initiative encompasses installation of fibre draw towers and the implementation of backward integration for producing glass pre-forms, crucial in the fibre drawing process. With this, Finolex Cables will be the second company in the country to manufacture glass preforms, a vital component for optical fibre production. The proposed upgrade will see the d