Page 5 - Telecom Sector In India

Bharti Airtel announces 10-21% hike in mobile tariffs from July 3

Bharti Airtel on Friday announced between 10-21 per cent hike in mobile tariffs, a day after larger rival Reliance Jio announced an increase in rates. Airtel, in a release, said that the revision in mobile tariffs will be effective from July 3. "We have ensured that there is a very modest price increase (less than 70 paise per day) on entry-level plans, in order to eliminate any burden on budget challenged consumers," the Sunil Mittal-led telecom firm said announcing the revision in mobile tariffs. Bharti Airtel said it has maintained that the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) needs to be upwards of Rs 300, to enable a financially healthy business model for telcos in India. "We believe that this level of ARPU will enable the substantial investments required in network technology and spectrum and offer a modest return on capital," the telco said. Among the unlimited voice plans, Airtel has raised tariffs in the ballpark range of about 11 per cent, and accordingly rates are rev

Tata Group retains top spot as India's most valuable brand at $28.6 billion

India's most valuable brands 2024: Tata Group nears $30 billion mark, Taj remains India's strongest brand, while HDFC's merger boosts brand to third position

Govt likely to take 6 months for notifying new rules for Telecom Act

The DoT is also working on notifying many of the provisions of the Act which haven't come into effect as of yet

New telecom law to come into effect from June 26: What are the changes?

The Telecommunications Act of 2023 was approved by both Houses during the Winter Session in December last year and received presidential assent in the same month

Telecom Act 2023 based on inclusion, growth, security for developed India

The Telecommunications Act 2023, which will be implemented partially from June 26, is based on principles of inclusion, security, growth and responsiveness to achieve the vision of developed India, an official statement said on Saturday. The Telecommunications Act, 2023, was passed by Parliament in December 2023. It received the President's assent on December 24, 2023 and was notified the same day. "Guided by the principles of Samavesh (Inclusion), Suraksha (Security), Vriddhi (Growth), and Tvarit (Responsiveness), the Act aims to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India)," the statement said. The rules that will be effective from June 26, will allow the government to take over the control and management of any or all of any telecommunication services or network, in the interest of national security, friendly relations with foreign states, or in the event of war. With these new rules in place, the universal service obligation fund will become Digital Bharat Nidhi, which

Govt conducts successful trial of 5G connectivity by balloons; drones next

Project aims to ease communication during disasters

Telecom cos reiterate demands over fair share charge, 6 GHz spectrum

COAI said OTTs not paying any charge for data, cost the government Rs 10,000 crore in taxes

Expect govt to allocate 6 GHz band spectrum for 5G network expansion: COAI

Telecom industry body COAI on Wednesday said it expects the government to allocate the 6 GHz band spectrum for 5G network expansion and roll out a fair share data network usage policy to make big apps pay for the excessive traffic generated by them. COAI, whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and others, released its priority wishlist for the newly formed government at the Centre on Wednesday. The body wants the government to increase the number of test labs for accelerating the process of clearing network gear to enable expeditious rollout of telecom networks. Quoting a report from the global telecom industry body GSMA, the Cellular Operators Association of India said India can save as much as USD 10 billion annually in 5G network deployment through the use of the 6 GHz spectrum. "India has made a giant leap in 6G innovations through initiatives, such as Bharat 6G Alliance and Bharat 6G Vision which envisage India to be a leader in 6G innovations and ...

Trai explores penal option for hoarding unutilised fixed line numbers

Telecom regulator Trai is exploring an option to penalise telecom operators for hoarding utilised fixed line phone numbers as it seeks to address the crunch of numbering resources inhibiting growth of new connections, according to a consultation paper issued on Thursday. In the consultation paper on "revision of national numbering plan", the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is exploring options to change the fixed line numbers in line with the method used for mobile numbers so as to address the shortage of numbering resources in the segment. The consultation paper follows request from the Department of Telecom to the Trai d to address present and possible future constraints related to availability of adequate fixed line numbering resources arising out of rapid growth. "Should a financial disincentive be imposed upon TSPs for retaining X per cent or more of the allocated TIs remaining as unutilized beyond a certain timeframe? If yes, please specify the X per cent with ...

Bharti Airtel appoints Sharat Sinha as Airtel Business CEO, effective Jun 3

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has appointed Sharat Sinha as the CEO of Airtel Business with effect from June 3, 2024. In this role, Sinha will report to Gopal Vittal and will be a part of the Airtel Management Board, according to a release. Sinha joins Airtel Business from Checkpoint Software Technologies, where he served as President of Asia Pacific. A seasoned technology professional, he has also worked with Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, and VMWare in various leadership roles. His early experiences in Ericsson and VSNL have also given him a sound telecom background, the release added. Gopal Vittal, CEO and MD of Bharti Airtel exuded confidence that Sinha's broad global experience in product management and business leadership across many global technology companies will provide tremendous firepower to Airtel's ambitions in rapidly growing the company's portfolio across connectivity and adjacencies. In June last year, Airtel announced the exit of the Chief Executive Officer of Bhart

MTNL drops over 2% after Q4 net loss widens; down 12% in three months

MTNL's net loss widened to Rs 783.7 crore on a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis, from a net loss of Rs 748.6 crore in the fourth quarter of financial year 2023 (Q4FY23)

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise eyes €100 million revenue from India in 3-5 years

Headquartered in Paris, France, ALE has a presence in more than 50 countries globally. In India, the company has around 250 employees

VIL shareholders approve plan to raise authorised share capital to Rs 1 trn

Debt-ridden telco Vodafone Idea shareholders have approved a proposal to raise its authorised share capital to Rs 1 lakh crore and issue equity shares on a preferential basis to promoter group firm Oriana Investments, a regulatory filing said on Thursday. According to the scrutiniser report of the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held on May 8, all special resolutions have been approved by the majority of the shareholders, with a minuscule percentage of voters opposing them. "All the resolutions mentioned in the EGM Notice....stand passed with requisite majority," the scrutiniser report said. Vodafone Idea (VIL) has sought shareholders' nod to raise companies authorised share capital to Rs 1 lakh crore from Rs 75,000 crore, following its recent Rs 18,000 crore follow-on offering (FPO). The company had also sought shareholders' nod to issue preferential shares worth Rs 2,075 crore to promoter group firm Oriana Investments Pte- an Aditya Birla Group entity.

Strong signal for telecom sector after successful Vodafone Idea FPO

VIL and Airtel have an instant ARPU upside if they can convert voice-only 2G users to 4G (all Jio users are data-enabled)

Telecom sector AGR rose 1.88% sequentially to Rs 67,835 crore in Q3 FY23

The monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) for wireless service rose to Rs 152.5

Telecom service sector's AGR up 1.8% to Rs 67,835 cr in Dec 2023 qtr: Trai

The Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of the telecom service sector rose 1.88 per cent on a sequential basis to Rs 67,835 crore in the December 2023 quarter, according to telecom regulator Trai's data. Seen year-on-year, the AGR (earned by telcos from the sale of telecom services and other stipulated items) increased by 7.84 per cent. "Gross Revenue (GR), Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR) and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of the telecom service sector for the quarter ended December 2023 have been Rs 84,500 crore, Rs 81,101 crore and Rs 67,835 crore, respectively. GR increased by 2.13 per cent, ApGR increased by 1.70 per cent and AGR increased by 1.88 per cent in the quarter ended December 2023, as compared to the previous quarter," Trai's latest report 'Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators' showed. Access services accounted for 82 per cent of the total adjusted gross revenue of telecom services. "In Access services, Gross Revenue (GR), Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR), Adjusted Gr

Airtel launches international roaming packs starting at Rs 133 per day

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel on Tuesday unveiled affordable international roaming packs for customers with tariffs starting at Rs 133 per day. The new range of packs covers 184 countries and offers enhanced data benefits, in-flight connectivity and 24x7 contact centre support, according to a company statement. Customers travelling to these 184 countries no longer need to subscribe to multiple packs for various travel destinations, Airtel said, adding that they will now have the convenience of choosing the duration of travel and enjoying seamless connectivity anywhere in the world through one single pack. "The packs offer greater value with enhanced benefits that are economical when compared to local in-country sims across many countries," Amit Tripathi, Director - Customer Experience and Marketing at Bharti Airtel, said.

Vodafone Idea, Indus Towers: Why IIFL Sec is bullish on telecom sector

IIFL Securities has also upgraded Indus Towers stock to 'Buy' with a target of Rs 379, and has raised Bharti Airtel stock's target price to Rs 1,379

Porting requests at 8-month low; Voda biggest loser among major providers

In Feb 2024, subscribers made nearly 12 mn portability requests, lowest since June 2023

DoT secy launches experimental module for 5G labs, grants 1,500 permits

Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal on Friday virtually launched an experimental licence module for 100 5G Labs during a workshop at IIT Madras, an official statement said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has granted around 1,500 experimental licences for 5G labs since the launch of the programme for carrying out trials and testing use cases for 5G services, the statement said. "In a move to smoothen the processes for 100 5G Labs across academic institutions in India, Secretary (Telecom), Dr Neeraj Mittal, virtually launched the experimental licence module for 100 5G Labs during a 5G workshop at IIT Madras. "This initiative aims to simplify the experimental licence requirements for these institutions, facilitating smoother operations and fostering innovation in the 5G domain," the statement said. The licences are being issued on 'self-declaration mode' from the Saralsanchar portal of DoT through National Single Window System (NSWS), the statement said. "To date, about 1,500 licences h