Page 9 - Telecom Services

Starlink requires IN-SPACe nod to launch satellite communication services

Firm needs all approvals before Trai brings guidelines

Govt issues Letter of Intent to Starlink for satellite internet rollout

The government has issued Letter of Intent to Starlink for satcom services, sources said on Wednesday. Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX -- the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by world's richest man Elon Musk. It provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology. Sources told PTI that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has now issued Letter of Intent to Starlink. Prior to this, the government had issued licences to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.

Starlink approval in final phase, to serve remote areas: MoS Telecom

Granting approval to Elon Musk-led satellite internet provider Starlink is a complicated issue but it is in the final stages, Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Tuesday while allaying apprehensions of any threat to existing telecom service providers. While speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Bharat Telecom event, the Minister of State for Telecom said that the government's security norms for satcom are important, especially in the present scenario where hostile nation Pakistan is making an attempt to hack the country's system. "It is a little complicated issue (permit for Starlink). We have to look from multiple angles. Security is one of them. Definitely, since it is in the final stages, we will get back on that," the minister said. He said that Starlink will have a minuscule role in connectivity compared to traditional telecom networks. "Starlink or the others, I wanted you to understand that in the entire world the number of subscribers Starlink has is l

Airtel Africa partners with Starlink to provide satcom across continent

Starlink has secured necessary licences to provide satcom in 9 of the 14 countries Airtel Africa operates in

Bharti Airtel stock hits new high in subdued market; surges 13% in 1 month

Thus far in the current calendar year 2025, the stock has rallied 19 per cent, as against 2.7 per cent rise in BSE Sensex.

Blinkit-Airtel SIM delivery paused as DoT asks telcos to abide by KYC norms

Just days after Blinkit-Airtel SIM home delivery was announced with much fanfare, the service has been put on hold, sources said. The move came after DoT queried Airtel on the process being followed and made it clear that stipulated norms have to be complied with, the sources said. The Telecom Department recently circulated a mail to various telecom service providers, saying "the existing self-KYC process, as per the extant instructions, shall be followed scrupulously." A person privy to the development said that the offering has been "put on hold, not discontinued". A quick search done on Blinkit for Airtel SIM returned no matches. A user on X penned a post saying: "Tried ordering an Airtel SIM via Blinkit. By the time I blinked... the service was discontinued ..." Emails sent to Airtel and quick commerce platform, Blinkit, seeking comments on the status of the launch announcement and whether or not the same have been discontinued, did not elicit any response. On April 15, Bhart

'Conversion of Airtel statutory liabilities into equity needs scrutiny'

Bharti Airtel's about Rs 41,000-crore of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues will not be converted into equity automatically as the telco's application for such conversion will go through a scrutiny at the Department of Telecom (DoT), an official source said on Friday. Bharti Airtel has sought conversion of its AGR dues of around Rs 41,000 crore, including interest liability, into equity in line with the relief given to debt-ridden Vodafone Idea by the government. "The application does not mean that it will be processed automatically. It needs to be evaluated and scrutinised before any final decision is made," the source said. An e-mail seeking comments from Bharti Airtel elicited no reply. The government has given relief to Vodafone Idea by converting its dues worth Rs 53,000 crore into equity ownership in the company. The government has recently increased its stake in Vi to 48.99 per cent from 22.6 per cent by converting dues worth Rs 36,950 crore. Earlier, the government had ...

Jio adds 1.76 mn subscribers in Feb, Vi losses shrink to 20K users: Trai

Vodafone Idea (Vi) continued to lose subscribers, albeit at a much slower rate

Bharti Airtel gained 1.65 million subscribers in January, says Trai

Jio controlled nearly 85 per cent of all 5G fixed wireless access connections

Telecom users rise to 1,190 mn in Jan; Airtel tops in new additions

Telecom user base in the country increased marginally to 119 crore in January with Airtel leading the chart in new subscriber additions across wireline and mobile segments, according to a Trai report released on Monday. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for the second time did not release updated broadband subscribers data in monthly subscribers report as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel did not submit data in prescribed format for December and January, the report said. "The number of total telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,189.92 million at the end of December 2024 to 1,192.03 million at the end of January 2025, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.18 per cent," the report said. Airtel led the growth in mobile and wireline segment with net addition of 16.53 lakh and 1.17 lakh customers, respectively, in January. The regulator in the telecom subscription data for January 2025 reclassified 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) as a wireless service which le

Vodafone Idea soars 12% on heavy volumes; here's why

After the conversion of the spectrum liabilities into equity, Vodafone Idea is expected to raise bank debt which will help it undertake capex to strengthen its 4G network and rollout the 5G network.

Bharti Hexacom rallies 10% in 2 days, stock hits record high; here's why

Bharti Hexacom share price: The stock price of the telecom - cellular & fixed line services provider is quoting higher for the seventh straight trading day, surging 18 per cent during the period

MTNL defaults on Rs 8,346 crore loans from seven public sector banks

State-run telecom firm MTNL has defaulted on bank loans worth Rs 8,346.24 crore from seven public sector banks, the company said in a regulatory filing. The loss-making public sector telecom firm's total debt obligations reached Rs 33,568 crore as on March 31, 2025, according to the filing dated April 19. The total loan default includes Rs 3,633.42 crore of debt raised from Union Bank of India, Rs 2,374.49 crore of Indian Overseas Bank, Rs 1,077.34 crore of Bank of India, Rs 464.26 crore Punjab National Bank, Rs 350.05 crore from State Bank of India, Rs 266.30 crore from UCO Bank and Rs 180.3 crore along with principal and interest payment. The defaults in loan payment have occurred between August 2024 to February 2025. The total debt on the company comprises Rs 8,346 crore bank loan, Rs 24,071 crore sovereign guarantee (SG) bond, and loan of Rs 1,151 crore from Department of Telecom (DoT) for paying SG bond interest, according to the filing.

Vodafone Idea suffers outage in Delhi, Mumbai; services restored now

Vodafone Idea faced a major outage in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and NCR in the early hours of April 18. Services have now been restored, the company said

Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel, IndiGo, Narayana Hrudayalaya hit record highs

Shares of Airtel hit a record high of ₹1,818, as they soared 3.5% in intra-day trade, surpassing its previous high of ₹1,778.95 touched on September 26, 2024.

Private telcos publish 5G, 4G, 2G network coverage maps as per Trai order

Private telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have published 5G, 4G and 2G network coverage maps in compliance with sector regulator Trai order, while public sector firms BSNL and MTNL are yet to publish it. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in a revised regulation on service quality norms for landline, mobile and broadband in August 2024, had mandated telecom operators to publish service-wise geospatial coverage maps on their websites on where wireless voice or wireless broadband service is available for subscription by consumers. "In a significant move to enhance transparency and empower mobile subscribers, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have published mobile network coverage maps on their websites, as per the mandate given by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)," the regulator said in a statement. As per the details shared by Trai, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea have published the coverage, while state-run BSN

Voda Idea debt at Rs 2.17 trn in Dec 2024 quarter, govt stake up at 48.99%

According to the company's investor presentation, the debt of Rs 2.17 trillion comprises Rs 2,14,700 crore payment obligations towards the government

Govt delays mandatory broadband gear testing rule till Sep 1 amid US tariff

The telecom department has deferred mandatory testing requirements for broadband gears till September 1 amid ongoing negotiations with the US on tariff issues. The US government has specifically termed India's testing and certification requirements in the telecom sector as burdensome that make it difficult or costly for American companies to sell their products in India. The National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS) under the Department of Telecommunications on April 7 notified that optical network terminal (ONT) and optical line terminal (OLT) products will be under the voluntary security certification (VSC) regime till August 31 during which administrative fees and security test evaluation fees shall not be levied. Earlier the DoT had set April 1 for mandatory testing and certification of ONTs that have already been deployed in telecom networks and are proposed for change in hardware and software. The department had set February 2 as the last date for mandatory ...

Nokia to upgrade VI's optical network to boost 4G services, back 5G rollout

Telecom gear maker Nokia will upgrade and expand Vodafone Idea optical transport network across key metro and circle locations in India, the company said on Monday. Nokia is among three vendors selected by Vodafone Idea for the Rs 30,000 crore network expansion plan. "Nokia's innovative optical solutions align perfectly with our goal to enhance customer experience and ensure robust network readiness for future demands. "With Nokia's advanced optical network solutions, we are excited to build an agile, high-capacity and future-ready network that will support India's digital transformation and drive innovation across sectors," Vodafone Idea chief technology officer Jagbir Singh said in a statement. This upgrade is expected to increase Vodafone Idea's capacity, which will support 4G data growth in the network of telecom operators. In addition, Nokia's equipment will modernise the network, providing flexibility and efficiency, and boost VIL's 5G rollout, the statement said. "We are p

Govt to convert Rs 37K cr Voda Idea dues into equity, raise stake to 49%

Promoters will continue to retain operational control of firm