Page 7 - Telecom

Cybercrime menace: 500,000 Sim cards blocked in Mewat since January 2022

The fraudsters were making a call using a Sim card, then switching off the phone, removing the Sim and putting a new Sim in the same phone to place the next call

Mobile user base dips for fourth month in a row, shows Trai data

Users have reduced by 0.6 million,1.82 million and 3.66 million in the three months since September

Telecom subscriber base rose marginally to 1.17 bn in December 2022

Telecom subscriber base rose marginally to 1,170.38 million in December 2022 on account of an increase in fixed line connections, according to official data. The total subscriber base in the country was at 1,170.17 million in November last year. "The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,170.18 million at the end of November to 1,170.38 million at the end of December, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.02 per cent," telecom regulator TRAI said in its monthly subscriber report for December 2022 released on Thursday. Wireline subscribers increased to 27.45 million in December from 27.13 million in November, with a net increase of 0.32 million in the wireline subscriber base. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report showed that the growth in the wireline segment was driven by Reliance Jio with an addition of 2,92,411 new customers. Bharti Airtel added 1,46,643 new landline customers, BSNL (13,189) and Quadrant (6,355). State-owned MTNL lost

Aditya Birla Group looking to raise funds for Vi at promoter level: Report

The group is reportedly looking to raise long-term debt for ailing telco Vodafone Idea (Vi) and use preferential share allotment as the route

Liberty Global buys 4.3% stake in Vodafone betting on share revival

Liberty Global, which acquired 1.34 billion shares in Vodafone, said in a statement on Monday that it isn't considering an offer for the Newbury, England-based telecom group

Centre freeing up more 5G spectrum, auction likely next year: Report

5G spectrum: Centre is looking for ways to shift some broadcasting and satellite players from 3.8 GHz to higher frequency

Vodafone Idea may get 60 days to raise funds before govt asks for Q3 dues

The company has paid about 10% of the charges and fees it owes govt for the October-December quarter

Unmet needs in wireless regulations

Given the high costs of installing fibre, policies for wireless middle- and last-mile connectivity are urgently required

Vodafone Idea in talks with banks to refinance Rs 3-4k crore loans

This is expected to free up some cash for Vodafone Idea which needs to pay urgently to Indus Towers, Nokia and Ericsson

Urban areas in Odisha to get 5G, 1,814 villages to get 4G by December

5G connectivity was launched on January 5 in Odisha with services in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar through 510 BTSs (base terminal stations)

NCLAT rejects bankruptcy board's plea against telecom tower firm GTL Infra

Corporate debtor's business is sustainable and it is a viable going concern, NCLT had ruled

Vodafone Idea plans to get back in the game but fundraising a challenge

The estimate for what it needs to tackle now is Rs 40,000 crore

Trai to meet telcos on Feb 17 to discuss calls drops, service issues, 5G

Telecom regulator TRAI has called a meeting with telcos on February 17 to discuss measures and action plan for improving service quality, review of norms, benchmarks for 5G services, and unsolicited commercial communications. The meeting assumes significance as improvement in telecom service quality is bound to cheer mobile customers, irked by call drops and patchy networks. It also comes at a time when ultra high speed 5G services are rolling out across the country. So far, as many as 200 cities in India have seen launch of 5G services, the next generation of technology that promises turbocharged speeds (about 10 times faster than 4G) and low latency connectivity. Issues around service quality have been in the spotlight over the last few months. The Telecom Department back in December met operators to discuss rising instances of call drops and service quality-related issues, as it deliberated on policy measures that can be considered for improving call quality. In a statement on .

Union Budget 2023: Govt allocates Rs 1.23 trn for postal, telecom projects

The government on Wednesday allocated Rs 1.23 lakh crore for postal and telecom projects including Rs 52,937 crore capital infusion in state-run BSNL. Total allocation includes Rs 97,579.05 crore for the Department of Telecom and Rs 25,814 crore for Postal projects, the Budget document presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. State-run BSNL, which is expected to roll out 4G and 5G services this year, will get Rs 52,937 crore capital infusion from the government in 2023-24. The government has allocated Rs 2,158 crore for Optical Fibre Cable based network for Defence Services and Rs 715.8 crore for telecom projects in the North Eastern states. The Department of Posts has been allocated Rs 25,814 crore and includes Rs 250 crore capital infusion in the India Post Payments Bank.

Vodafone Idea approves debentures worth Rs 1,600 crore to ATC Telecom Infra

The fresh approval was necessitated as the nod granted by the shareholders had lapsed

USO payments should be suspended till existing funds exhausted: COAI

Reduction of license fee to 1 %, lower customs duties, and a clearer definition of Gross revenue among key industry demands submitted in budget recommendations

Best of BS Opinion: Capex push in states, Crisis in the Himalayas, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Mobile calls may turn pricey, providers likely to hike 4G rates: Report

Inability to pay vendors and invest in business could hurt its operations, especially its ability to retain high ARPU postpaid customers, the report said

Govt issues rules to make entities pay for causing damage to telecom infra

The government has notified new rules to make entities pay for damages that they may cause by digging or excavating to telecom infrastructure like optical fibre network and mobile towers, according to an official statement issued on Friday. According to official estimates, due to digging or excavation activities undertaken by various entities, there are nearly 10 lakh optical fibre cuts (OFC) every year that cause an economic loss of approximately Rs 3,000 crore per annum. The Department of Telecom expects that the Indian Telegraph (Infrastructure Safety) Rules 2022 was notified on January 3 will be able to curb damages caused to the telecom infrastructure and inconvenience caused to citizens because of frequent breakdown of communication services. "Many utilities can be saved from unwanted cuts and wasteful costs towards restoration, thus saving thousands of crores for businesses and associated tax loss to the government," the statement said. The rule mandates that any person or .

BSNL aims to introduce 4G network in 45,180 villages across India

With its planned 4G services launch, public sector firm targets rural market spanning 7% of all villages