Page 3 - Telecom Sector In India

Govt blocks 669K SIM cards, 132K IMEIs to curb cybercrimes, Centre tells RS

The Centre has blocked 6.69 lakh SIM cards and 1.32 lakh International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers reported by police authorities to check cyber crimes in the country, Rajya Sabha was informed Wednesday. In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the central government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers appearing to be originating within India. "Such international spoofed calls have been made by cyber criminals in recent cases of fake digital arrests, fedex scams and impersonation as government and police officials," the minister said. Directions have been issued to the TSPs for blocking of such incoming international spoofed calls, he said. "Till November 15, 2024, more than 6.69 lakh fake SIM cards and 1.32 lakh IMEIs as reported by police authorities have been blocked by the government of India," he ...

How Donald Trump's win could boost Musk's & Bezos' India ambitions

Donald Trump's return to the White House may bring potential advantages for Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as his policies favouring US companies could create a conducive environment for them

Telecom issue: NCLAT dismisses petitions, says IBC to prevail over Trai Act

Insolvency tribunal NCLAT has said that the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) would prevail over the provision of the Telecom Service Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act, as it dismissed two petitions filed by the sectoral regulator in the RCom matter. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) dismissed the plea by the telecom regulator TRAI against the classification of the balances of the customers of RCom as operational debt by the resolution professional in the insolvency proceedings of the defunct service provider. NCLAT also dismissed the second petition filed by TRAI, where it sought direction to the resolution professional of RCom for payments of statutory dues amounting to Rs 85.10 lakh. "The submission of the appellant (TRAI) that Act being a special law, would prevail over the provisions of IBC cannot be accepted." "The Supreme Court has already held that Section 238 of the IBC has overriding effect over any other law. Hence, IBC shall prevail over the ..

Telcos warn on OTP disruptions as Trai's new traceability rules begin Nov 1

Trai's new mandate, set to take effect on November 1, would require traceability of messages sent by principal entities, including banks, e-commerce platforms, and financial institutions

BSNL's 7 new offerings include spam blockers, auto SIM kiosks to woo users

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Tuesday launched a slew of new offerings and initiatives - a lineup that ranges from spam blockers to automated SIM kiosks and direct-to-device services. BSNL also introduced low latency 5G connectivity for mining operations in partnership with CDAC, leveraging Made in India equipment and BSNL's technological expertise. The new services - 7 in all - were launched by Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. BSNL's spam-blocking solutions automatically filter out phishing attempts and malicious SMS and aim to create a safer communication environment for the telco's users. Automated SIM kiosks allow users to purchase, upgrade, port or replace SIMs on a 24X7 basis leveraging UPI or QR-enabled payments with seamless KYC integration and multi-lingual access. India's first direct-to-device connectivity solution converges satellite and terrestrial mobile networks to deliver "reliable connectivity", a release said adding the technology is

Musk's Starlink wins as Centre denies Ambani, Mittal spectrum auction pitch

Narendra Modi-led government faces task of luring foreign investment especially from heavyweights like Musk and balancing it with the demands placed by local wireless firms led by Ambani and Mittal

PM calls for global framework for digital tech at India Mobile Congress

At India Mobile Congress, he stressed on 'dos and don'ts' for technology on global level

India set to lead 6G revolution; our telecom sector aggressive: Scindia

India is resolved to lead the world in 6G, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday, terming the telecom sector of the country as 'aggressive' and 'ambitious'. Scindia, speaking at the inauguration of India Mobile Congress and World Telecommunication Standardization (WTSA) 2024, said with the Bharat 6G Alliance, India hopes to contribute at least 10 per cent patents to 6G standardisation. "It is our belief and our commitment -- India followed the world in 4G, we marched with the world in 5G, but we shall lead the world in 6G," the minister asserted. With the fastest 5G rollout in India wherein 98 per cent of districts and 90 per cent of all villages were covered in a span of just 21 months, Scindia said it is the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's effort of not just embracing, but bracing the country to become the first-mover in 6G technology. "It is noteworthy that the Indian Mobile Congress and the International 6G Symposium demonstrates both local and global ...

PM Modi to inaugurate 8th telecom meet and India Mobile Congress today

It is a pivotal global event that will bring together more than 3,000 industry leaders, policy-makers and tech experts from over 190 countries, representing telecom, digital, and ICT sectors

Trai to discuss OTT apps regulation; expedite Satcom framework: Chairman

Telecom regulator Trai will expedite the process for satellite spectrum pricing before taking up the issue of regulation for over-the-top apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Google Meet, Trai chairman said on Wednesday. A consultation paper on pricing for Satellite Spectrum will issued in the next few days, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman RC Lahoti said. "OTT was not part of this paper (Service Authorisation Framework under Telecommunications Act 2023). It is being discussed separately. Right now, we have to take up spectrum pricing on a priority basis," Lahoti said. He said that Trai will explore if OTT apps need to be regulated under the Telecommunications Act 2023. Telecom operators have expressed concern over Trai's recent recommendation on a new regime that proposes to allow the provisioning of telecom service using single authorisation instead of a license, which was the norm under the old regime. Lahoti said Trai has only recommended the framework that

Trai urges DoT to encash Rs 115 cr from telcos for spam-related violations

The telecom regulator maintains that telcos are responsible for controlling unsolicited commercial communications under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations

Indian telecom players targeting 10% share in 6G patents in next 3 yrs

Indian telecom players are targeting a share of 10 per cent of all 6G patents and one-sixth contributions to global standards in the next three years, an official statement said on Saturday. Telecom industry players have proposed to systematically align research to 'India's needs' and put in place a vibrant "Standards Community". The proposal came up during the second meeting of Stakeholders Advisory Committee (SAC) on Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) which was chaired by union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday. "Industry leaders proposed systematically aligning research to India's needs' and put in place a vibrant 'Standards Community' targeting a share of 10 per cent of all 6G patents and one-sixth contributions to global standards in the next 3 years," the statement said. During the first SAC on telecom operators, certain focus areas were identified. Deliberations on international standards and India's share in Intellectual Property and Standard Essential Patent .

Trai asks telcos to blacklist unregistered telemarketers' lines over spam

Sector regulator TRAI on Tuesday directed telcos to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered telemarketers found making spam calls, and to blacklist them for up to two years. Further, TRAI has asked telcos to comply immediately with its latest directive and submit regular updates on action taken in this regard on a fortnightly basis. Issuing its directive to telcos, TRAI said this "decisive action" is expected to significantly reduce spam calls and provide relief to consumers. TRAI in a release said it has issued "directives to access providers to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered senders for making spam calls and to blacklist such senders under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018" regulations. Towards this, TRAI has mandated all access service providers to stop voice promotional calls whether pre-recorded or computer generated or otherwise from all unregistered senders or telemarketers (UTMs) using bulk connections or .

Voda Idea Q1 results: Net loss narrows to Rs 6,432 cr on reduced expenses

Vodafone Idea's revenue slipped 1.4 per cent to Rs 10,508 crore, below analysts' expectation of Rs 10,592 crore

Bharti Hexacom Q1 results: PAT almost doubles to Rs 511 cr, revenue up 14%

Telecom operator Bharti Hexacom, which operates under the Airtel brand, reported over two-fold jump in its profit to Rs 511.2 crore in the first quarter ended on June 30, 2024, compared to Rs 253.2 crore in the same period a year ago. Total revenues of Bharti Hexacom increased by 14 per cent on a year-over-year basis to Rs 1,910.6 crore during the reported quarter from Rs 1,681.7 crore a year ago. Mobile revenues grew by 12.9 per cent Y-o-Y on the back of improved realisation and sustained customer additions. The Average revenue per user (ARPU), a key matrix to determine telecom operators' growth, for the quarter increased to Rs 205 from Rs 194 a year ago driven by continued mix improvement and focus on quality acquisitions. "We added 2.8 million smartphone customers to our network over last year, an increase of 16.3 per cent YoY. We continue to deliver industry-leading ARPU along with growing average data usage per customer at 25.7 GB per month. We rolled out 268 network towers an

Call rates in India among lowest in world: Telecom minister Scindia

India now has 117 crore mobile connections and 93 crore internet connections, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday while noting that call rates in the country are one of the lowest in the world. Scindia said the cost of call for every minute was 53 paisa and it has come down to just 3 paisa now, which is a 93 per cent reduction, one of the lowest rates in the world. At present, India has 117 crore mobile connectivity and 93 crore internet connections, he said. He said the cost of one GB data is Rs 9.12, which is cheapest in the world. The minister said under the Digital India Initiative, various technology-led startups and innovation schemes like Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0), Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS), domain specific Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) have been undertaken with a total funding outlay of around Rs 800 crore in tier-2 and tier-3 ...

HFCL Q1 result: Net profit up 46.4% at Rs 111 cr as internet demand rises

Domestic telecom equipment maker HFCL Ltd on Tuesday reported a 46.4 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit for the June quarter to Rs 111 crore. Its revenue rose 16.4 per cent to Rs 1,158 crore in the just-ended quarter, compared to a year ago. HFCL Managing Director Mahendra Nahata noted that amid geo-political challenges, India stands out with its political stability and resilient economy, positioning itself as a prime investment destination. "The technology and telecom sectors are going to play a vital role in achieving the country's vision of 'Viksit Bharat@2047'," he said. The growing demand for high-speed internet, the expansion of 5G networks, FTTH (Fibre To The Home) implementation, hyper-scaling of data centres, advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme and the thrust on indigenous development and procurement of defence equipment, present substantial opportunities for the company both in domes

Bharti Airtel bags multi-yr contract from CBDT to provide network solutions

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Thursday signed a multi-year contract with telecom major Bharti Airtel, under which the latter will provide network and connectivity solutions for CBDT's Taxnet-2.0 programme. This contract is an extension as Airtel has been the network partner to CBDT since 2008 in Taxnet-1.0. "The formal Letter of Award was handed over to Bharti Airtel by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Letter of Acceptance has been given by Bharti Airtel to CBDT. The occasion was graced by Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, and Mr Ravi Agarwal, Chairman, CBDT," Airtel said in a statement. Airtel will provide robust dual connectivity with Software Defined Network for WAN, and Secure LAN amongst other technology solutions for CBDT's Taxnet-2.0 programme, which aims to modernise the current system for collection, processing, monitoring and accounting of direct taxes, it said.

Telecom ministry to work on actionable plan on identified issues: Scindia

The telecom ministry will work on actionable plan with defined timelines on issues that have been discussed with telecom operators and other players in the sector, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday. The minister held meetings with three of the six committees set by his ministry. The meeting with the committee on telecom operators was attended by telecom chiefs including Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Airtel Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Vodafone Idea MD and CEO Akshaya Moondra. "We've identified a rather deep agenda for these committees. Now the members of these committees and us will be working together," Scindia said. Industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar was also part of the meeting. Scindia said there are varied schedule for the first presentation of these committees that will be over the next couple of weeks. "Then we will be taking on each individual issue, delving into the det

SAR Televenture looking to raise Rs 450 cr through rights issue and FPO

Telecommunication infrastructure provider SAR Televenture is looking to raise Rs 450 crore through rights issue and follow-on public offer (FPO). This comprises a rights issue of shares worth up to Rs 300 crore and a follow-on public offering (FPO) of up to Rs 150 crore, according to the draft papers. The company proposes to utilise the proceeds to the tune of Rs 273 crore to set up fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network solutions, Rs 42.5 crore for setting up an additional 1,000 4G/5G telecom towers, Rs 30 crore for incremental working capital requirements and the balance amount for general corporate purposes in FY 2025. The rights issue consists of 1.50 crore equity shares of Rs 2 each at an issue price of Rs 200 per rights share. The issue opens on July 15 and will close on July 22. "Existing shareholders will get one rights share for one equity share held as on record date July 9, 2024," the company announced. Meanwhile, the price band of the FPO has been fixed at Rs 200-Rs 210 per