Page 6 - Telecom Sector

BSNL launches 7 new services, innovative asset monetisation plans in works

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Tuesday launched a slew of new offerings and initiatives, ranging from spam blockers to automated SIM kiosks and direct-to-device services, as the state-owned firm vowed to proactively woo subscribers and claw back market share. Sporting a brand new logo, BSNL also introduced low latency 5G connectivity for mining operations in partnership with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), leveraging Made-in-India equipment and its technological expertise. In all, 7 new services of the telco were launched by Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Meanwhile, sources said that the telecom corporation is shifting to a higher gear to grab market share, with a game plan that includes the commercial launch of 4G services in the coming months. The state-owned telco is also giving shape to asset monetisation plans, with an innovative multi-pronged approach that may include identifying land for 'data warehousing' and using the last leg as

Telcos revenue may cross Rs 5 trn in next 2 yrs, says DoT official

Telecom sector revenue may cross Rs 5 lakh crore in the next two years in line with the present growth trend fuelled by ease of doing business measures introduced by the government in the last 2-3 years, a senior Department of Telecom official said on Friday. The DoT's apex decision-making body Digital Communication Commission Member Manish Sinha mooted the idea of relooking at current practices of spectrum allocation and working on new methodologies like dynamic spectrum allocation, and for shorter duration to enhance spectrum usage efficiency and derive its economic value. "I can see that in the last 2 to 3 years, there has been much ease of business, and that reflects in the kind of revenues that the telecom sector is generating now. I hope it continues to grow like that in the next two years, it won't be surprising if we break the barrier of Rs 5 lakh crore in terms of gross revenue from this sector," Sinha said. According to a report by sector regulator Trai, telecom service ..

HFCL expects 70% revenue in fibre optic, 50% in telecom gear from exports

Domestic telecom gear maker HFCL expects 70 per cent of its revenue in fibre optic segment and half of network equipment business will start flowing into the company from exports in the next three years, a top company official said on Wednesday. HFCL Managing Director Mahendra Nahata told PTI that the company is now seeing a surge in demand for 5G gears after telecom operators have installed 5G mobile towers across the country. Apart from optic fibre cable, HFCL provides peripheral telecom equipment that connects with base stations to enhance coverage. "In telecom we have two type of products -- telecom equipment and optical fibre. Our plan in fibre optic cable is in three years time, 70 per cent of our revenue should come from exports. In telecom equipment, in three years, around 50 per cent of revenue will come from exports," Nahata said. He said the company is already exporting fibre optic cables to 40 countries and has recently started exports of telecom equipment as well. "Ma

IMC 2024: Satcom takes centre stage as Sunil Mittal says 'buy spectrum'

No auction of satellite spectrum: Telecom minister

Indian data should remain in Indian data centres, says Akash Ambani

Ambani also urged the government to expedite the draft of the 2020 data centre policy

DoT launches new system to stop fraudulent international calls with telcos

4.5 million or one-third of such calls being stopped

Trai seeks help from RBI, sectoral regulators to push via anti-spam process

The new Digital Consent Acquisition process allows consumers to consent to receive commercial texts, calls

Telcos can't opt out of new service authorisation regime: Trai chairman

Consultation paper on satellite spectrum to be launched in next few days, Chairman says

Telcom firms, Scindia discuss AGR, OTP apps exclusion from licensing rules

Telecom operators in a meeting with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia expressed concerns over regulator Trai excluding messaging and calling apps like WhatsApp and Telegram in its recommendation on new licensing rules, sources aware of the development said. Operators also discussed issues concerning adjusted gross revenue payments, they added. The meeting was attended by Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra, Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal and BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Robert J Ravi. "All telecom operators expressed concern over the exclusion of over-the-top apps by Trai in its recommendation on Service Authorisation. Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel raised the issue of adjusted gross revenue," a source said. Telecom operators have been demanding for a long time to bring calling and messaging apps, called as OTTs, under the ambit of telecom licences as they provide calling and messaging services like any telecom operator. The Telec

BSNL adds 2.9 mn users after telecom rivals hiked tariffs in July

State-owned telecom company was the only one in industry not to raise tariff

SC rejects telecom firms' pleas on AGR case, Vodafone Idea stocks tank

Failure of last legal recourse by telcos to hit Vi the hardest despite the firm paying back Rs 7,900 crore

SC rejects telecom firms' pleas in AGR case; Vi shares plunge 10%

The rejection of the final legal remedy leaves Vodafone Idea with limited options, worsening its financial struggles amid fierce competition and heavy debt

Indian telcos to join forces to tackle rising spam calls & messages menace

Telecom companies have traditionally been hesitant to share sensitive data because it could affect their business customers financially

DoT eases process to issue licences for trial, demo, equipment approvals

The Department of Telecom has eased the process to issue licences for experimental, demonstration and equipment-type approvals to reduce delays and simplify regulatory requirements to promote innovation and streamline operations for businesses, an official statement said on Tuesday. The changes have been made based on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on ease of doing business and simplifying regulatory processes in the telecom sector. The department has induced deem approval process for experimental and demonstration licence while all the applications for equipment type approvals (ETA) for license-exempt wireless devices will now be granted on a self-declaration basis. "For Experimental Licences cases not requiring Inter-Ministerial Consultation, the licence will be deemed issued after 30 days if no decision is conveyed," the statement said. In cases requiring Inter-Ministerial Consultation, the DoT will seek comments within seven days of ...

DoT's new Telecom Act rules explained: Internet shutdowns to infra updates

The Telecom Act, which replaces outdated laws like the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, has raised concerns over mass surveillance and online privacy

5G, 6G rollout will spur growth to become developed nation: DoT secretary

After 5G, India is now gearing up for 6G rollout which will spur the growth that is required to achieve the developed nation status, Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal said on Wednesday. Mittal said that the government has replaced 150 years old Telegraph Act with a new Telecommunications Act which is expected to stand the test of time for the next 20-30 years. "5G technology has been already rolled out. We are now planning for 6G. All of them will spur the growth in achieving the developed nation status that we are yearning for," he said while speaking at a public relations industry event Prana. Mittal said that the race of technology is not going to stop. He said policymakers need to visit global manufacturing hubs in countries like Vietnam and China and get their acts together to replicate the success stories in India. "I think the 12 (industrial) cities which the government has announced will be able to do that. I think if we can do that in 100th years, at 2047, we will not fail o

DoT asks M2M service providers to register by Sep 30 or face disruption

The Department of Telecom has asked unregistered machine-to-machine service providers to register by month-end, as non-registration may lead to disruption of services, an official statement said on Tuesday. As of June 30, there were 5.2 crore M2M cellular mobile connections. "Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has urged all unregistered M2M Service Providers (M2M SPs) and WPAN/WLAN (devices connected wirelessly) Connectivity Providers for M2M Services, to register with DoT immediately and latest by September 30, 2024, to avoid disruption of their M2M services. "Non-compliance may lead to withdrawal or disconnection of telecom resources obtained from the Authorised Telecom Licensees," the statement said. The segment is dominated by Bharti Airtel with 2.82 crore connections with a market share of 53.86 per cent, followed by Vodafone Idea Limited, Reliance Jio and BSNL with a market share of 27.77, 12.80 and 5.58 per cent, respectively. M2M services comprise devices that can be .

Airtel, Nokia, MediaTek achieve 300 Mbps upload speed on 5G during trial

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel, MediaTek and Nokia have achieved 300 megabits per second upload speed on a 5G network during a recently concluded trial, a joint statement said on Monday. The trial comprised the combined use of a set of mid-band spectrums, utilising the latest generation chipset. "The trial aimed at maximising the uplink performance was conducted at Airtel's tech lab and achieved uplink speeds of 300 Mbps, setting a new benchmark in 5G network performance. It underscores Airtel's commitment to providing innovative solutions that meet the ever-growing demands of a connected world," the statement said. The trial enhanced upload speeds by aggregating frequency bands of 3.5 gigahertz and 2.1 GHz. "This trial not only stands a testament to our philosophy of enhancing our state-of-the-art network infrastructure and delivering an unmatched 5G user experience but will also greatly enhance our network's uplink performance, resulting in faster data speeds and improved ...

Jio aims to add a mn broadband homes every month, says Mukesh Ambani

Jio will aim to add a million broadband homes every month to achieve 100 million home broadband customers in a record time, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Thursday. While speaking at RIL's 47th AGM, Ambani said JioAirFiber clocked first million customers in six month. "By leveraging our deep-tech capabilities and continuously optimising every process, we acquired the next 1 million air fibre customers in just 100 days. We are now challenging ourselves to add a million homes every 30 days. With this momentum, we are confident of reaching our target of 100 million home broadband customers at record speed," he said. He said Jio is also targeting over 20 million small and medium businesses, 1.5 million schools and colleges, over 70,000 hospitals, and 1.2 million doctors to connect with broadband.

Union Bank freezes accounts of telecom firm MTNL over non-payment of dues

Union Bank of India has frozen all accounts of state-run telecom company MTNL for non-payment of dues, a regulatory filing said on Wednesday. Union Bank of India informed the company on August 21 about freezing of all its accounts over non-payment of loans, debt-ridden MTNL said. "This is to inform you that Union Bank of India vide its Letter... dated August 21, 2024 has informed MTNL that its account has slipped to NPA with effect from August 12, 2024 due to which all accounts of MTNL with Union Bank of India have been freezed automatically," MTNL said. Earlier this month, MTNL informed stock exchanges that it has defaulted on bank loan payments worth Rs 422.05 crore. According to the details shared by MTNL, it has defaulted on the payment of Rs 155.76 crore on debt raised from Union Bank of India, Rs 140.37 crore from State Bank of India, Rs 40.33 crore from Bank of India, Rs 40.01 crore from Punjab & Sind Bank, Rs 41.54 crore from Punjab National Bank, and Rs 4.04 crore from ...