Page 16 - Telecom Services

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

Vodafone Idea stock falls 2.5% on weak April telecom data, profit booking

On June 19, Vodafone sold 18 per cent stake in Indus Towers for Rs 15,300 crore to repay debts. Post stake sale, Vi's holding in Indus Towers stood at 3.1 per cent

Vodafone Idea seeks Rs 23,000 crore term loan to boost 4G and 5G rollouts

Telecom major Vi plans to invest Rs 50,000-55,000 crore over the next three years to enhance and strengthen its 4G connectivity and rollout 5G networks in key markets

Telcos dial into caller ID service trials to combat rising spam calls

Telecom operators are assessing the feasibility of CNAP, where both number and caller name will be displayed during incoming calls

Tata Elxsi, Red Hat ink pact to boost telco network monetisation; stk up 2%

The uptick in share price came after Tata Elxsi announced that it has collaborated with Red Hat to boost telecom network monetisation

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

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 ...

Trai issues consultation paper for revising national numbering plan

With a tele-density of 85.69 percent as of March 31, 2024, the regulator expects the current total of 1,199.28 million telephone subscribers to continue rising

After 17% fall on LS poll outcome day, Voda Idea up 12% today; here's why

Shares of Vodafone Idea soared up to 12.55 per cent at Rs 14.89 per share on the BSE in Wednesday's intraday trade. The stock recovered after falling over 17 per cent on Tuesday

5G subscriber up 20-25%, yet tariff upside may be minimal: Report

India's 5G subscriber count is seen rising several notches to 20-25 per cent of the overall base in one year, but though telcos are in a "better position" to execute tariff increase, actual visibility on a "meaningful" increase remains uncertain, Ind-Ra said. According to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), this is because globally too 5G has not yielded any major tariff premium over 4G rates. The use cases of 5G in India are still limited to applications such as video streaming and multi-person video calls. The Fitch Group company, in its telecom outlook FY25 has maintained a neutral outlook on the sector for the current fiscal. It expects the subscriber base to reach 20-25 per cent over the next one year from about 17 per cent currently, in line with global experience. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), it said, may continue to exhibit organic growth albeit the growth rates, per se, have tapered somewhat. Ind-Ra believes Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have an opportunity to captur

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

DoT allocates 160 as prefix for incoming calls for service, transaction

The Department of Telecom has allocated a separate 10-digit numbering series starting with 160 for service and transactional calls made by government, regulators and financial entities, according to an office memorandum issued on Tuesday. The 10-digit number series has been designed by the DoT in a manner that telecom subscribers will get an idea about calling entities as well as the telecom operator and the place from where it has originated. "It has been decided to allocate a separate numbering series 160 exclusively for service and transactional voice calls as per Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) 2018," the official note said.. The move is aimed at helping subscribers differentiate between calls made by government bodies and regulated entities from those made by fraudsters masquerading as government officials. The 10-digit number will be issued in 1600ABCXXX format for government and regulators where AB will show the code of telecom circle

'Telcos will pay GST along with instalments towards spectrum charges'

Telecom companies will have to pay GST along with the instalments paid towards spectrum charges, a senior official said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) will hold the next round of spectrum auction on June 6 for eight spectrum bands meant for mobile phone services. The base price for the auction has been set at Rs 96,317 crore. The spectrum will be assigned for 20 years and successful bidders will be allowed to make payments in 20 equal annual instalments in the coming mega auction. The official said Goods and Services Tax (GST) will have to be paid at 18 per cent by telecom companies along with each instalment. "The GST Council in its next meeting is likely to clarify the procedure for payment of GST by companies winning the bids during the spectrum auction," the official told PTI. The clarification will end confusion among field formations regarding the method for collection of GST in the auction process. All the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz,

Govt's telecom revenue for FY24 expected to miss target by Rs 10,000 cr

Under the 2022 revival package totalling Rs 1.64 trillion and the Rs 89,047 crore allocation in 2023, the government is set to provide spectrum and settle adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues for BSNL

Telcos collaborate with tech partners to curb unwanted calls, messages

The Centre has currently designated the 140 number series for promotional voice calls, and the 160 number series for transactional and service-related voice calls

Trai to announce stricter norms for call disruptions, video jitters on 5G

Currently, 5G service users encounter various challenges including poor call quality, call drops, inability to connect to 5G despite activating phone settings, and negligible disparity in speeds

Substantial rise in mobile tariffs needed in India: Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal

Hints at multiple tariff hikes, says free 5G data dragging down Arpu

Stars aligned for Vi? Rs 18K cr FPO has raised hopes of a daring turnaround

But tariff hikes are needed and dues need to be paid

'Govt needs Rs 4.2 trn to connect 240 mn households with broadband'

India will need an investment of Rs 4.2 lakh crore by 2030 for connecting 24 crore households in the country with broadband services, according to an industry expert. While speaking at the Broadband India Forum conference, Prashant Singhal, Telecom Sector Leader, Emerging Markets, Partner in a member firm of EY Global, said that at present 4 crore households are connected with broadband in India. "To connect 24 crore households in India with high-speed broadband service, India will need to invest Rs 4.2 lakh crore on digital connectivity infrastructure across all modes- fibre, mobile towers, satellite broadband, wifi, data centres etc," Singhal said. According to the break-up provided by him, fibre deployment will need investments in the range of Rs 2.7-3 lakh crore, passive infrastructure Rs 90,000-96,000 crore, WiFi and in-building solutions Rs 6,600-Rs 9,000 crore, data centres Rs 9,700-Rs 14,100 crore and satellite broadband services Rs 26,000-29,000 crore. "Besides, USOF ...

Jio bundles Netflix with 14 apps into broadband plan for Rs 888 monthly

Jio on Friday said it has bundled premium services of 15 apps, including basic subscription of Netflix, Amazon Prime Lite, Disney+ Hotstar, with its 30 mbps broadband plan for Rs 888 a month. Netflix access was earlier available for customers having JioFiber of Rs 1,499 plan, while there was no access of entertainment apps for customers with entry-level 30 megabit per second broadband plan. Similarly, access to Netflix for AirFiber customers was available only in plans priced at Rs 1499 per month or higher. "Designed to provide the ultimate streaming experience coupled with unlimited data benefits, the new postpaid plan, priced at Rs 888 per month, is available to JioFiber and Jio AirFiber customers...subscribers gain exclusive access to over 15 leading OTT apps, including popular platforms like Netflix's basic plan, Amazon Prime, and JioCinema Premium," Jio said in a statement. According to a company source, the plan will provide access to premium content of all over-the-top (OTT)