Page 4 - Telecom Industry

Starlink permit bars copying, decryption of Indian data abroad: MoS Telecom

The government has approved a permit to Starlink after the company agreed to comply with domestic laws, including security conditions, which bar it from copying and decrypting data overseas and mirroring Indian user traffic on any system set up abroad, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said. The minister told PTI that security conditions mandate satellite communication providers to set up earth station gateways in India through which communications from satellite to users are routed. He said that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) granted a Unified License (UL) to Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited after the US firm agreed to the stipulated terms and conditions of the UL, including security conditions which is applicable to all satcom players. "The security conditions, inter-alia, include the establishment of earth station gateway(s) in India for providing satellite-based communication services with no user traffic originating from

Vodafone Idea eyes non-banking sources to fund capex cycle in short term

'Confident of solution to AGR', says outgoing CEO Akshaya Moondra

Govt wants telcos to ditch foreign gear for homegrown equipment: Here's why

The Centre is reportedly urging private telcos to use more homegrown equipment, a move that could hit foreign suppliers and benefit local firms, with a mandate likely if voluntary targets fall short

Indian telecom companies oppose DoT plan on direct network allocation

COAI warns direct allocation of spectrum for private 5G networks could harm security, cause revenue loss and create an uneven playing field with licensed operators

Revenue milestone: Airtel is leading the way with record-high Arpu

As Arpu is a key yardstick of a telecom company's financial health, telcos must work on effective monetisation strategies

TCS, Now Corporation partner to boost Philippine digital infrastructure

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Monday said it has partnered with NOW Corporation's telecom arm to boost digital infrastructure and enable financial inclusivity in the Philippines. Now Telecom is a public sector telecommunications company in the Philippines offering services across mobile networks and fixed wireless. "Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, has partnered with NOW Corporation's telecom arm Now Telecom, a public sector telecommunications company, to bolster national digital sovereignty, enable financial inclusivity, and build a clean network for the Philippines," according to a release. With this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in place, the release said, TCS will support the company with capabilities to expand trusted networks, provide sovereign cloud technology and a cyber-defence suite, alongside creating citizen-centric services in areas such as healthcare and digital banking, promoting financial .

Airtel in talks with govt on AGR dues-to-equity conversion: Gopal Vittal

Bharti Airtel MD Gopal Vittal says telco in talks with govt on converting Rs 40,000 crore AGR dues into equity, seeks parity with peers, and will abide by final decision

Draft telecom policy needs to be substantive, not just a mission statement

The draft talks about doubling annual investment in the telecom sector to ₹1 trillion, creating 1 million jobs in this industry, along with reskilling another 1 million, achieving 90% 5G population

Mobile subscribers grow modestly in June to 1.16 bn, rural subscribers dip

India's mobile subscriber base increased 0.17% in June, led by urban growth; rural users declined slightly while Jio and Airtel gained market share

Jyotiraditya Scindia pushes BSNL to lift Arpu by 50% over next year

Union minister emphasises ARPU and enterprise growth at BSNL review, says capex and strategic focus will yield positive operating cash flow in coming quarters

In a first, Bharti Airtel ties up with Perplexity to offer AI to users

'Pro' version of LLM to be available free of cost

DoT may stick to Trai's satellite spectrum pricing recommendations

The department issued a letter of intent to Starlink on May 7, days before the pricing recommendations were announced, but trial spectrum for testing services has not yet been allocated

Telcos complete rollout of SMS headers to identify messages, reduce spam

Domestic telecom operators implement SMS header system to categorise messages and enhance transparency, reducing spam and increasing consumer trust, says COAI

Starlink gets key govt nod, prepares for broadband service rollout: Report

Starlink clears final regulatory hurdle as India's space body IN-SPACe gives nod; firm still needs spectrum allocation, infra setup, and trials before launching satellite internet services

Premiumisation to drive Arpu growth for all telecom operators in Q1

Analysts expect a sequential increase in Arpu for all telecom operators in Q1 FY26, driven by the ongoing shift from 4G to 5G and higher service usage

The ideological abyss: Vodafone rescue requires solutions, not ideology

To rescue or not to rescue Vodafone goes beyond one's views on privatisation or nationalisation - it depends on what will work in a given context

AGR dues: Vodafone Idea unlikely to get further relief or payment extension

"There may be some payment terms being proposed (by the company), but the question remains whether they'll be able to honour those payments," the official added

Ananth Tech set to launch India's first private satellite broadband service

Ananth Tech gets IN-SPACe nod to launch ₹3,000-crore satellite broadband service by 2028, marking India's first private satcom rollout to rival Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon Kuiper

India should have 10% of 6G patents by 2030, says Chandra Pemmasani

Minister Pemmasani says India must lead global 6G innovation with 10% patents by 2030 as Bharat 6G Vision, 5G labs and open-source platforms drive R&D push

Reliance Jio on path to become dominant FWA player globally: Analysts

Indian telecom major Reliance Jio is on track to become the world's largest Fixed Wireless Access provider by subscriber base, eclipsing US-based telecom giant T-Mobile, an analyst report said on Sunday. According to recent data released by telecom regulator Trai, Reliance Jio total 5G FWA subscriber base (including unlicensed band radio) reached 6.88 million in May, while T-Mobile had 6.85 million subscribers in March. Reliance Jio reclassified around 1 million Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) unlicensed band radio (UBR) subscribers into FTTx category, following which its net FWA subscriber base stood at 5.9 million in May, with a monthly addition of 0.74 million customers. ICICI Securities report by analysts Sanjesh Jain, Mohit Mishra and Aparajita Chakraborty based on Trai data said that industry FWA (excluding UBR) stood at 7.4 million with RJio's FWA subs stood at 5.9 million after UBR reclassification. The report said that net addition was 0.74 million subscribers in May. "RJio's