Page 35 - Telecom Industry
5 telcos ideal for market, says telecom secretary
Vodafone and Idea have already said they are considering merging their businesses in India
 "5 telcos ideal for market, says telecom secretary")
Telecom industry lost 20% revenue due to Reliance Jio giveaways: Ind-Ra
The report said free cash flows will be negative due to double whammy of weaker eanings and capex
 "Telecom industry lost 20% revenue due to Reliance Jio giveaways: Ind-Ra")
Sharp ARPU fall makes consolidation look real in telecom
Talk of consolidation is partly due to Reliance Jio, which started a price war with its tariffs
 "Sharp ARPU fall makes consolidation look real in telecom")
Declining ARPU, shrinking profits may make survival hard for smaller telcos
Telenor, Tata Tele (Mah), Aircel likely to face price pressure, as industry heads for consolidation
Vodafone-Idea merger: Intensity of competition in telecom industry to fall
If the merger happens, Airtel will be relegated to a distant second
 "Vodafone-Idea merger: Intensity of competition in telecom industry to fall")
Indian telecom sector got $10 bn FDI in 8 months of 2016-17: Official
FDI which was $1.3 billion in 2014-15, $2.9 billion in 2015-16 has jumped up to more than $10 billion in the first eight months of 2016-17
 "Indian telecom sector got $10 bn FDI in 8 months of 2016-17: Official")
Prepaid users go slow, telco revenues hit
Analysts indicated the telecom sector is likely to see greater pain in the coming weeks, as a fallout of demonetisation
 "Prepaid users go slow, telco revenues hit")
BSNL approaches Telecom Department for 700 MHz spectrum weeks after it goes unsold in auction
The telecom PSU has suggested that a 5 MHz block in 700 Mhz band be assigned to it by government through equity route
 "BSNL approaches Telecom Department for 700 MHz spectrum weeks after it goes unsold in auction")
Jio to gain less than 2% revenue market share
Reliance Jio expected to gain 2% revenue market share in 2017
Bharti Infratel awaits 4G boost
RJio launch and data expansion are expected to improve prospects but there could be a few bumps on the way
Jio tussle: Trai comes down hard on telcos
Jio makes data on call drops public, says 121 mn calls failed in a day
 "Jio tussle: Trai comes down hard on telcos")
Noida becomes hub for mobile phone makers' offices, R&D centres
A report by Assocham and KPMG says India likely to have 180 million smartphones by 2019, or 13.5% of total global market
 "Noida becomes hub for mobile phone makers' offices, R&D centres")
Top 3 telcos grab 75.2% revenue market share in Q1
Telecom industry saw revenue growth slowing down in Q1 of FY17, owing to weak consumer spending and declining data revenue growth
 "Top 3 telcos grab 75.2% revenue market share in Q1")
Govt ready to delay spectrum auctions to auspicious day: Telecom Secretary J S Deepak
Deepak, however, sought to dismiss notions of any dampness in the spectrum sale
 "Govt ready to delay spectrum auctions to auspicious day: Telecom Secretary J S Deepak")
Regulatory vacuum
But some of the charges against Trai could be unfounded
Airtel, Aircel, BSNL top chart of MNP violations
According to Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha in Lok Sabha, most number cases related to violation of MNP norms were reported in 2013-14 and their number declined sharply to 9 in 2015-16
 "Airtel, Aircel, BSNL top chart of MNP violations")
Trai hurting us to benefit one new telecom operator, say existing telcos
Telcos plan to move court on interconnect charge review
 "Trai hurting us to benefit one new telecom operator, say existing telcos")
Telcos invested Rs 4.31 lakh crore in FY15
Gross block of investments includes both tangible and intangible assets of telecom operators
Towering problem for telecom firms
Absurd demands from local authorities block installation of towers in hinterland
Bharti Airtel, Vodafone & Idea control 74% of market
Top 3 players continue to gain revenue market share in Q4 at expense of fringe players
 "Bharti Airtel, Vodafone & Idea control 74% of market")