Page 2 - Telecom Sector In India

Connectivity is a constitutional duty, not commodity: Scindia to telcos

Telecom service providers must rethink providing connectivity not as a commodity but as a constitutional commitment keeping in mind key factors like affordability, availability, accessibility with blazing data speeds, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday. While speaking at an event organised by internet service providers body ISPAI and government-backed Nixi, the minister said five days ago India has moved from being the 5th largest economy in the world to become the 4th largest, and he takes pride in representing telecom which is growing at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 to 16 per cent as well as with the CAGR of 12-13 per cent in northeast. "You are the engineers of equity. You are the builders of bridges. And you are the keepers of the digital flame of India. Reimagine connectivity not necessarily as a commodity but a constitutional commitment," the minister said. He asked telecom operators and internet service providers (ISP) to follow six foundational .

Voda-Idea hits 52-wk low; falls 12% in 2 days as SC dismisses AGR dues plea

Vodafone Idea said that the Hon'ble Supreme Court refused to admit the Writ Petition filed by the company, seeking appropriate relief in the AGR matter.

Vodafone Idea warns of insolvency risk beyond FY26 without govt support

The report comes a day after Vi filed a fresh plea before the Supreme Court seeking a waiver of over ₹30,000 crore of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues

Telecom sector sees strong fresher hiring intent for 1st half of 2025: Rpt

The Indian telecom sector is seeing stable workforce demand, with 45 per cent of companies surveyed indicating fresher hiring intent for the first half of 2025, according to a latest report. The TeamLease EdTech Career Outlook Report (January-June 2025), which surveyed 649 companies across India, revealed that telecom remains a significant employment generator as the sector transitions to 5G networks, cloud-native architecture, and enhanced cyber resilience. The telecom roles are blending with IT and data functions, creating hybrid job profiles that didn't exist a few years ago, the report noted. While the sector witnessed a marginal decline from the 48 per cent freshers hiring intent reported in the previous half-year (July-December 2024), the momentum remains robust, driven by demand for specialised roles. "As the world marks World Telecom Day, the Indian telecom sector continues its stable trajectory in workforce demand, with 45 per cent freshers hiring intent projected for the

Blinkit-Airtel SIM delivery paused as DoT asks telcos to abide by KYC norms

Just days after Blinkit-Airtel SIM home delivery was announced with much fanfare, the service has been put on hold, sources said. The move came after DoT queried Airtel on the process being followed and made it clear that stipulated norms have to be complied with, the sources said. The Telecom Department recently circulated a mail to various telecom service providers, saying "the existing self-KYC process, as per the extant instructions, shall be followed scrupulously." A person privy to the development said that the offering has been "put on hold, not discontinued". A quick search done on Blinkit for Airtel SIM returned no matches. A user on X penned a post saying: "Tried ordering an Airtel SIM via Blinkit. By the time I blinked... the service was discontinued ..." Emails sent to Airtel and quick commerce platform, Blinkit, seeking comments on the status of the launch announcement and whether or not the same have been discontinued, did not elicit any response. On April 15, Bhart

Jio, Airtel seek fair satellite spectrum rules as Starlink eyes India entry

Under the telecom law enacted in December 2023, satellite spectrum can be assigned administratively for a fee, whereas terrestrial spectrum is allocated through auctions

Trai intensifies crackdown on pesky calls, prescribe fines up to Rs 10 lakh

Telecom regulator TRAI on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on pesky calls and messages with new rules that prescribe fines ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for recurring and repeated instances of violation, in cases where telcos misreport the count of such spams. The regulator has mandated all telecom operators to analyze call and SMS patterns based on parameters such as unusually high call volumes, short call durations, and low incoming-to-outgoing call ratios to flag potential spammers in real-time. The amendment in the regulation in Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations come with graded penalty that will be imposed on telecom operators in case they fail to implement the provisions of the rule. For instance, a financial disincentive (FD) of Rs 2 lakh for the first violation, Rs 5 lakh for the second instance of violation and Rs 10 lakh per instance for subsequent violations will be imposed on access providers in case of misreporting of the count

Vodafone Idea share price tumbles 8% after mixed Q3 results; details here

Vodafone Idea's consolidated net losses narrowed marginally to Rs 6,609.3 crore in Q3FY25, from a loss of Rs 6,985.9 crore in Q3FY24

By end of 2026, entire country will operate exclusively on 5G: Piyush Goyal

Union Minister highlights rapid advancements in telecom, infrastructure, and public welfare, positioning India as a global leader in tech and development

Bharti Airtel surges 5% as Q3 results beat expectations; brokerages bullish

The company's consolidated profit skyrocketed 505.2 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 14,781.2 crore in Q3FY25 versus Rs 2,442.2 crore in the same quarter last year

Trai recommends opening up key 5G spectrum band for upcoming auctions

The 37-40 GHz spectrum band is ideal for reaching peak 5G speeds in high-density urban areas

With loans to MTNL turning into NPAs, PSBs may agree to 20% haircut

They have Rs 8,144 cr exposure to troubled telco

Union Budget 2025-26: Here are the key challenges in the telecom sector

Digital ecosystem growth is facing the increasing risk of cyberattacks on consumers and enterprises alike

ARPUs to rise, user churn to subside for telcos in Q3FY25, say analysts

Rising data usage, premiumisation may push existing users towards postpaid in FY26

Vi rolls out unlimited annual data usage plans to counter competition

The loss-making private telecom firm Vodafone Idea has rolled out annual recharge plans for mobile phones, offering users unlimited data from midnight till noon, in an attempt to catch up with competition. The company in a statement shared that it has rolled out pre-paid plans priced at Rs 3,599, Rs 3,699 and Rs 3,799 that will offer unlimited data usage from 12 AM till 12 PM every day throughout the year and it will be in addition to the daily data usage limit at high speed. "Vi's annual recharge plans offer half day unlimited data from 12 AM to 12 PM in addition to a 2GB daily data quota for the remaining 12 hours of the day. Not just that, Vi SuperHero packs also offer weekend data rollover, which allows users to carry forward unused weekday data and use it during the weekend," Vi said. The new recharge plans, Vi SuperHero prepaid packs, are currently available in Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana. Vi's rival Jio and Bharti Airtel h

Time for telcos to reap gains from tariff hike: EY's Prashant Singhal

Reduction in levies and tariff hikes are required for telecom operators in the country to reap the benefit of investments they have made in digital infrastructure, according to experts in the sector. Private operators have invested around Rs 70,000 crore in telecom infrastructure and radiowave assets this year to expand the coverage of next-generation 5G services in 2024 for the sector. However, the challenge is to keep 180 million 2G customers connected and encourage them to move to 4G for inclusive growth. "Telecom sector levies need to be rationalised, India is the highest on levies and still one of the lowest on tariffs. Innovation in tariff structure may come in with high usage customers paying more and entry level data users still at similar rates," EY India Markets and Telecom leader Prashant Singhal said. He said that India still had over 18 crore 2G customers who need to move to the 4G bandwagon in 2025 may see that happening. "The investments made by telecom companies

Telcos face twin challenges on tariffs, upcoming satellite services front

The country's private telecom operators face twin challenges on investment recovery in the New Year customers leaving their network after tariff hikes and satellite players mainly Elon Musk's Starlink eyeing a chunk of their bread and butter data business. Private operators have invested around Rs 70,000 crore in telecom infrastructure and radiowave assets this year to expand the coverage of next-generation 5G services which is one of the main highlights of 2024 for the sector. To recover investments and protect margins, private telcos resorted to tariff hikes in mid-year but that move backfired. Around 2 crore subscribers dropped their connections. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea jointly lost 2.6 crore customers due to a 10-26 per cent price hike. Around 68 customers switched to state-run player BSNL which refrained from price hike. The loss-making PSU still offers generation-old 3G service and is on the path of rolling out 4G network across the country. Despite ..

275K numbers disconnected, Rs 4000 cr fraud prevented: Jyotiraditya Scindia

Scindia emphasised the efforts of the Home Ministry in setting up a network to tackle cyber fraud which had helped to prevent fraud worth Rs 4,000 crore

Internet vital for life, shutdowns hurt banking, education: Telcos to govt

Telecom firms urge the govt to limit internet shutdowns, citing their impact on essential services like banking, education, and digital payments, and stress exploring alternatives for law-and-or

Tariff hikes, consolidation may lead to further gains for telecom players

Industry likely to benefit further as full gains from tariff hikes seen over next two quarters; consolidation may lead to further increases