Page 19 - Telecom Services

DoT imposes Rs 4 lakh fine on Airtel for violation of verification norms

The Department of Telecom has imposed a penalty of around Rs 4 lakh on Bharti Airtel for violation of subscriber verification norms in Delhi and Bihar circles. According to a regulatory filing by Bharti Airtel, the Department of Telecommunications, Delhi circle, has issued a notice imposing a penalty of Rs 2.55 lakh for alleged violation of subscriber verification norms. The Delhi circle has issued notice for "alleged violation of terms and conditions with respect to subscriber verification norms under the Licence Agreement, pursuant to Sample CAF Audit conducted by DoT for January 2023", the filing said. The department's Bihar circle has given a notice to the company, imposing a Rs 1.46 lakh fine for "alleged violation of subscriber verification norms", Bharti Airtel said in a separate filing. For Bihar circle, the notice has been issued "pursuant to Sample CAF Audit conducted by DoT for January 2024", the filing said. The company has, however, contested the penalty levied by DoT

5G subscribers consuming 3.6-times more data than 4G users: Nokia

Overall, 5G made up 15 per cent of all data traffic across telecom circles as of December, 2023

Vodafone exits Italy, sells operations to Swisscom for $8.7 billion

Swiss government-controlled Swisscom said the Vodafone Italia deal will be debt-financed and paid in cash

Vi surrenders partial spectrum in Uttar Pradesh east, West Bengal

Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea has surrendered partial spectrum in 900 and 1800 Mhz band that were due for renewal in 2024. While the amount of spectrum surrendered by Vodafone Idea could not be ascertained, sources indicated it to be around 12 megahertz in both bands. When contacted, Vodafone Idea spokesperson said, "Upon assessing our usage and needs, we have surrendered some spectrum in both West Bengal and UP East. We remain committed to providing seamless services to our customers while also focussing on optimising for operational efficiency and future growth". Separately, in an investor presentation, VIL said it has completed the minimum roll out requirement for 5G services in 4 telecom circles, and the company has a target to cover 40 per cent of revenues population coverage with 5G in the first 24-30 months.

BSNL installs 3,500 4G towers in 5 northern states: CMD Pravin Kumar Purwar

Tower installations to begin in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh soon

Wireless data revenue rises 22% to Rs 1.74 trn in FY23, teledensity down

Revenue from wireless data usage in the country increased by about 22 per cent to Rs 1.74 lakh crore in the financial year 2022-23, a report by telecom regulator Trai said on Tuesday. According to the report, the revenue from wireless data services was Rs 1.43 lakh crore in the financial year 2021-22. "Total revenue from wireless data usage increased from Rs 1,43,169 crore in the year 2021-22 to Rs 1,74,144 crore in the year 2022-23 with yearly rate of growth of 21.63 per cent," Trai's Yearly Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for the year 2022-23 said. The increase in wireless data revenue usage was mainly on account of growth in user base as telecom operators are yet to monetise 5G data services that were launched in October 2022. The gross revenue of telecom service providers increased by 19.94 per cent to over Rs 3.33 lakh crore in FY'23 from Rs 2.78 lakh crore in FY'22. However, the adjusted gross revenue (AGR), based on which the government calculates its levies,

Spectrum auction for eight bands to start from 20 May 2024: DoT notice

The upcoming spectrum auction will start from May 20, according to the notice inviting application released by the Department of Telecom on Friday. Government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of Rs 96,317.65 crore. Spectrum which is held by certain companies undergoing insolvency processes as well as frequencies expiring this year will also be put on auction.

Cross connection: Starlink's India signal may take longer to connect

A satellite mega-constellation called Starlink G60 is being built in Shanghai by state owned Chinese firms

Telecom giants shift focus to tier-based post-paid tariffs to boost revenue

Higher-priced family-pack bundles offer multiple mobile connections, generous data allowances, and subscriptions to popular OTT streaming apps to encourage users to upgrade to higher-ARPU-generation

Spectrum auction to be a muted affair as telcos already hold key bands

Loss of appetite: The spectrum auction this year could be a muted affair, with telcos' hunger for airwaves ebbing away after the feasts of 2010 and 2022

Swisscom confirms talks to buy Vodafone's Italian unit for 8 bn euros

Telecoms operator Swisscom confirmed on Wednesday it's in talks with Vodafone Group toward a possible purchase of its Italian subsidiary for 8 billion euros (USD 8.65 billion). The Swiss company, which is majority owned by the Swiss government, said in a statement it's in advanced exclusive negotiations to buy all of Vodafone Italia and merge it with Swisscom's Italian subsidiary, Fastweb. Swisscom says it expects the purchase, if concluded, would add value and cash flow to the Swiss company and help improve its dividend policy. The Swiss telecoms operator says the deal would bring lower costs and pave the way for synergies, and comply with aims of the Swiss executive branch, the Federal Council.

Trai recommends introduction of CNAP service for caller name display

Trai on Friday recommended that Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Supplementary Service be introduced in telecom network and that the service involving display of caller names on phones be offered by all telcos to subscribers on request -- a move that is expected to curb spam. The government should issue suitable instructions for making CNAP feature available in all devices sold in India after a suitable cut-off date, once recommendations are accepted, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said. The name identity information provided by the telephone subscriber in the Customer Application Form (CAF) should be used for the purpose of the service, Trai said in its recommendations. "Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Supplementary Service should be introduced in the Indian telecommunication network," Trai said. Put simply, CNAP is a supplementary service that enables the caller's name to flash on phone screens when someone calls. While native smartphone tools and third-party

DoT will not intervene in 2G network shutdown; parks decision with telcos

Around 50 million 2G handsets are sold annually, with over 500,000 2G base tower stations deployed throughout the country

Telecom subscriber base grows marginally to 1.19 bn in December: Trai data

Telecom subscriber base in the country grew marginally to 119 crore in December 2023 on account of new subscriber addition by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, according to a Trai report published on Thursday. The broadband subscriber base also grew marginally to 90.4 crore, accounting for about 76 per cent of the total subscriber base, as per the monthly subscriber report published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). "The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,185.73 million at the end of November to 1,190.33 million at the end of December, showing a monthly growth rate of 0.39 per cent," the Trai report said. Reliance Jio added 39.94 lakh mobile subscribers while Bharti Airtel onboarded 18.5 lakh. However, the growth was mitigated with Vodafone Idea (VIL) losing 13.68 lakh mobile customers, state-run BSNL 1.5 lakh and MTNL 4,420 mobile customers. Wireline subscribers increased to 3.18 crore at the end of December 2023 from 3.15 crore at the end

Airtel launches in-flight roaming packs for customers at Rs 195. Details

The lowest postpaid plan at Rs 195 offers 250 MB data plan, 100 minutes of outgoing calls, 100 SMS and is valid for a period of 24 hours, Airtel said

Can Voda Idea play on the front foot in a market fast resembling a duopoly?

The UK telco's rough ride in India started in 2009, over a retrospective tax demand that was set aside later, but it has lately been in the news for a variety of reasons

Telecom licence fee collection up 8.23% at Rs 5,326 cr in quarter ended Sep

The government's licence fee collection from telecom service providers increased 8.23 per cent year-on-year to Rs 5,326 crore, while spectrum usage charge mop up declined about 40 per cent to Rs 836 crore in the September 2023 quarter, according to the latest Trai report. According to the performance indicator report released by regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), operators' gross revenue (GR) declined by 1.22 per cent to Rs 82,741 crore, but adjusted gross revenue (AGR) increased by 7.43 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 66,583 crore during the reported quarter. "On a YoY basis, GR decreased by 1.22 per cent, ApGR (applicable gross revenue) increased by 6.74 per cent, and AGR increased by 7.43 per cent in the quarter ended September 2023," the report released on Friday said. Reliance Jio recorded the highest AGR of Rs 24,217.13 crore with a 9.12 per cent year-on-year rise. Bharti Airtel posted the highest AGR growth rate of 10.88 per cent at Rs 19,840.84 crore

Cabinet approves telecom spectrum auctions at base price of Rs 96,317.65 cr

A committee, to be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, will also be set up to finalise plans for re-farming of certain spectrum bands

Artisan Partners divests 1.2% stake in Indus Towers for Rs 717 crore

Asset management company Artisan Partners on Wednesday divested a 1.2 per cent stake in telecom infrastructure major Indus Towers for Rs 717 crore through an open market transaction. The US-based Artisan Partners through its affiliate Artisan International Value Fund sold shares of Indus Towers on the BSE. According to the bulk deal data available with the BSE, Artisan International Value Fund offloaded 3,33,46,663 shares, amounting to a 1.24 per cent stake in Indus Towers. The shares were disposed of at an average price of Rs 215.10 apiece, taking the deal value to Rs 717.29 crore. After the latest transaction, Artisan Partners' shareholding in Indus Towers declined to 0.47 per cent stake from 1.71 per cent. Details of the buyers could not be ascertained. On Wednesday, shares of Indus Towers rose 1.92 per cent to close at Rs 225.50 apiece on the BSE. Last week, private equity major KKR, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), and another entity sold Indus Towers' shares w

Real improvement in Arpu to come only with tariff repair: Airtel MD Vittal

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said while there has been a clear rise in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) on an 'organic basis', the "real improvement" in this metrics will come from "tariff repair". During the company's Q3 investor call, Bharti Airtel Managing Director Gopal Vittal asserted it is not a question of whether tariff repair will happen, but rather when it will happen. "The real improvement will come only if there is a tariff repair. As I have mentioned before it is not a question of if tariff repair will happen, it is a question of when it will happen," the Airtel top honcho said. There has been an improvement in ARPU in the absence of tariffs hikes too, he noted citing the organic levers. "We have seen improvement in ARPU in absence of tariffs hikes...yes, in some quarters it is higher, some quarters lower. But if you take slightly longer timeframe there is clearly a movement up in the ARPU on an organic basis, given the levers that I spoke about...post paid