Tariff increase by telcos was long overdue
Payouts related to AGR by non-telcos to far exceed demand made on telecom operators, including those that have either shut down or sold off
Incumbent telcos Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have said they would go for a review petition of the SC order, but they have limited time to move court
The latest move by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is aimed at ensuring that banks, insurance companies and others would have a ready list of mobile numbers that are disconnected
For the telecom sector, the Union Cabinet approved a two-year moratorium on payment of pending spectrum auction instalments
This comes soon after all three private telecom operators announced they were raising mobile phone tariff
Telecom players including Airtel and Vodafone Idea had sought some relief from the telecom sector
Experts also feel that the telecom industry is not ready for an auction and the government can instead explore other ways of making available the airwaves to companies
The move to defer payments for 2020-21 and 2021-22 will give Rs 42,000 crore relief to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio
Earlier this week, Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone all announced tariff hikes to be effective from next month
CCI does not need to wait to pick up cases only after it is approached by an affected party, it can and has done suo moto cases too
The decision of Vodafone Idea and Airtel to raise tariffs is being seen as a step to encourage the government to offer a relief package to the industry
The financial system cannot afford another massive hit after the PSB saga, NBFC/HFC problems and urban cooperative bank fiasco
The company also said that it understands that telecom regulator Trai is likely to initiate a consultation for bringing rationality in pricing in the Indian mobile sector
Here's a selection of Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day
While the sector awaits a lifeline, a sharp reduction in capital and opex has aided cash flows
Govt should prevent a near-monopolistic situation
The company had reported Rs 338 crore in losses for the June quarter (Q1), and a profit of Rs 1,295 crore in Q2 last year
Traffic symmetry indicates that a telecom operator will not have any outstanding balance of interconnect usage charges (IUC) against other networks
On the telecom sector, the minister said the Centre wanted all companies to flourish and be able to grow their businesses in India