Page 4 - Telecom Sector In India

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

Survey finds 89% people facing call drops, 9 in 10 calling through OTT

Around 89 per cent of people surveyed have experienced call drops in the last three months and nine in 10 have used Wi-Fi networks to make calls through calling and messaging apps, online survey firm Localcircles said on Monday. The survey conducted between March and June claims to have received a total of 32,000 responses across different questions from 362 districts. The number of responses differed from question to question. "89 per cent of subscribers surveyed face call connection and drop issues, Out of this 89 per cent, 38 per cent of them face it with over 20 per cent of their calls," the survey said. In response to the question on call drop experience, 17 per cent indicated they face issues in more than half of their total phone calls while 21 per cent said that 20-50 per cent of their calls get dropped or disconnected. With most mobile subscribers facing call connection and drop issues, nine in 10 are using OTT (internet calls and messaging apps like WhatsApp) platforms to

Govt likely to pay bond interest dues of MTNL, assuring no default

The government will pay the bond dues of ailing Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), a DoT source said assuring that there will be no default, and that the amount will be paid before the due date of July 20. The move assumes significance as it would avert a looming crisis for the telecom corporation which is being seen teetering on the brink with regard to its debt obligations that are becoming due. All eyes are on MTNL, ever since the debt-laden firm last week expressed its inability to make interest payments to certain bondholders due to paucity of funds. Telecom Department sources said that the government will step in and pay the said dues, and asserted that there won't be any default on the same. In this particular case, where the second semi-annual interest (7.59 per cent) on certain bonds is falling due on July 20, 2024, DoT sources said that "the dues will be paid before the date". Amid mounting financial woes, MTNL last week informed in a statutory filing that it is unable

Vodafone Idea reaches out to DoT for waiver of Rs 24,700 cr bank guarantee

Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea has reached out to the Department of Telecom to seek waiver on a financial bank guarantee worth Rs 24,747 crore for spectrum payment due in September 2025, according to sources. Vodafone Idea (VIL) needs to securitize the annual instalment one year before the due date of the payment. "Vodafone Idea has reached out to DoT seeking waiver for financial bank guarantee (FBG) worth Rs 24,747 crore which it has to pay in September 2025. The FBG needs to be deposited one year before the due date as per spectrum auction rules," a source, who did not wish to be identified, told PTI. An email query sent to Vodafone Idea elicited no response. The payments are for frequencies that VIL purchased in auctions that were conducted before 2022. VIL in 2022 opted for a four-year moratorium to pay for the spectrum allowed under a government relief package. The moratorium period for the spectrum payment obligations related to spectrum auctions conducted until 2016 ends between

'BSNL unable to compete with pvt telcos without 4G, 5G, check tariff hike'

State-run BSNL is unable to compete with private telecom operators in the absence of 4G and 5G services due to which there is no restraint on mobile service providers from raising tariff, BSNL Employees Union said on Tuesday. BSNL Employees Union in a letter to the union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the recent tariff hike by the private telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel is unwarranted as they are profitable companies. "Earlier, due to the competition from BSNL, the private telecom service providers were restrained from increasing their tariffs capriciously. However, the scenario has changed now. BSNL has not been able to launch its 4G and 5G services till date, as a result of which it is handicapped from competing with the private operators and thereby restraining their arbitrary tariff hikes," the letter said. Recently, all three private operators announced an increase in mobile service rates in the range of 10-27 per cent. While new tariff

Nomura raises Bharti Airtel target price post tariff hike, sees 14% upside

In the post-paid segment, tariff adjustments range from 10-20 per cent, with popular plans seeing increases of 10-13 per cent