Page 9 - Trai

Vodafone Idea likely to miss December deadline to raise funds: Report

The delay in plans to raise fresh funds is crippling the telco's plan to launch its 5G services

Jio cements lead with net additions of 3.2 mn mobile users in Aug: Trai

India's largest mobile operator Reliance Jio added 32.4 lakh users in August, and its wireless subscriber tally topped 44.57 crore, according to data released by telecom regulator Trai. Bharti Airtel gained 12.17 lakh wireless subscribers in August, while cash-strapped Vodafone Idea lost 49,782 users. The mobile subscriber count of Bharti Airtel rose to 37.64 crore in August. Vodafone Idea (Vi), on the other hand, saw its wireless subscriber numbers dip to 22.82 crore during the month. Reliance Jio cemented its position as India's largest mobile operator, adding 32.45 lakh users in August and its wireless subscriber base swelled to over 44.57 crore, according to monthly telecom subscription data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Jio's net adds for August were, however, lower than 39 lakh additions in July. "In August, 12.67 million subscribers submitted their requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP)," Trai said. With this, the cumulative requests (sinc

Trai without a chairman, satcom spectrum allocation to be affected

The rollout of satellite-based communication services by Bharti Enterprises -backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio will be affected by the delay in appointing Vaghela's successor

Reliance Jio takes contrarian call on 5G services, not to raise tariff

Not to raise tariff; focus not only on mobility but also on connecting India's over 330 million households with broadband based on 5G last-mile connectivity

India competing with world's best telecom equipment makers: Vaishnaw

On semiconductor manufacturing, the minister said at least three players were in advanced talks with the government for building a chip plant in India

Signature campaign 'Save the internet' based on falsehood: COAI to Trai

Recent signature campaign "Save the internet" against the proposal of network usage fee, that was signed by several startups, is based on "falsehood and misinformation", telecom industry body COAI said in a letter to regulator Trai. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said the proposal of "fair share charge" will put the onus on large global entities, who are profiting from India, but not contributing to its economy or infrastructure development. The industry body, whose members include Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea etc, said the people and companies are being misguided by propagating unfounded fears and supposed scenarios by certain entities with vested interests. Meanwhile, calling for signatures of startups, a note from "Save The Internet" campaign members mentioned that the letter meant for submission to Trai is to oppose network usage fees proposed by telecom operators, and against the idea of imposing telecom licensing on online services. The note said that Airtel, Ji

OTT platforms are not governed by Trai but by IT rules, says TDSAT

This order was in response to a petition by the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) against Star India Pvt Ltd (STAR)

May restrict services to Vodafone Idea if dues unpaid: Indus Towers to Trai

Indus Towers has also criticised the telco for 'wilful and continuous' failure to make the due payments

Reliance Jio gains 3.9 mn users in July, Vodafone loses ground: Trai

Trai data revealed that 11.7 million subscribers had submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP), signalling a sustained trend of Vi users migrating to other operators

Shift in leadership landscape? Non-govt chiefs at financial regulators

Will more regulators such as Trai follow suit?

6 GHz spectrum can be split between unlicensed and licensed use: Trai

The report noted that the United States' decision to make the full 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use has set a trend, influencing countries like Brazil and Saudi Arabia

Over regulation of internet may have discriminatory results: Cos to Trai

Founders and top leaders of many prominent startups, including Zerodha's Nithin Kamath and Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma, have written a joint letter to regulator TRAI in support of net neutrality, and cautioned that any move towards "over regulation" of internet services categorised as OTT services could have "discriminatory consequences". The letter, signed by representatives of 129 startups, calls for the internet to be maintained as an open platform where network providers treat all content, application, and services equally, without discrimination. This includes not putting a service at a competitive disadvantage, either by imposing additional network fees or other regulatory obligations such as licensing under a telecommunications framework, according to the letter addressed to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman PD Vaghela. "As a key representative of the Indian economy and internet innovation ecosystem, we are writing to urge the authority to continue their

Lowering entry barriers

Trai's recommendations are unlikely to bring more operators

Trai recommendations on boosting telecom infra in NE progressive: COAI

Industry body COAI on Monday said regulator TRAI's latest recommendations on boosting telecom infrastructure in northeastern states are progressive and will drive socio-economic and digital progress in the region. TRAI's recommendation on exemption of Right of Way (RoW) charges in the rural, tribal and hilly regions for a five-year period will encourage telecom operators to invest further towards network deployments in lesser populated regions, the association said in a statement. "The industry is confident that if implemented in letter and spirit, these progressive recommendations will provide further impetus to proliferation of telecom and broadband services in the northeastern region of the country, thus propelling socio-economic and digital progress...," Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar said. Telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, are members of COAI. On provisioning power supply for the telecom sector, TRAI

No plans for OTTs sharing revenue with telecom companies, says govt

They point to an ICRIER report which has said that OTTs should contribute towards the network costs of telcos and not continue to ride for free

Trai recommends measures to boost telecom infra in north-eastern states

TRAI has issued recommendations for bolstering telecom infrastructure in North East, suggesting parleys with the state governments to harmonise their respective 'right of way' policies with related Central rules, as well as favouring provision of electricity to telecom sites on priority at utility tariffs. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) noted that while a number of initiatives have been taken by the government to improve telecom connectivity in the northeastern states, there is still a lack of high-speed mobile-based internet and fixed broadband connectivity, mainly due to the inadequate transmission bandwidth (optical fibre, Microwave and satellite). "The Northeast states continue to grapple with a significant digital divide due to various reasons such as inhospitable terrain conditions, poor availability of power supply, transmission media related limitations, poor return of investment prospects for TSPs, and Right of Way (RoW) related issues," the sector regulato

Trai moots 'concurrent PLI scheme' to boost telecom gear manufacturing

TRAI has mooted 'concurrent PLI scheme' focussing on components and sub-assembly manufacturing to facilitate collaborated production activities, as it released an extensive set of recommendations to promote manufacturing of networking and telecom gear in India through tax benefit, dedicated master fund and other sweeteners. With a sharp gaze on goals of scaling domestic production and local value addition in global value chains, TRAI in its recommendations favoured additional two per cent benefit under the design-led PLI scheme for product lines meeting a certain criteria, while also talking of a dedicated 'Networking and Telecommunications Equipment Development' fund. In order to spur innovation and encourage industry's drive towards beneficially owned resident Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), lower corporate income tax has also been recommended. This would apply if the enterprise is continuously engaged in R&D driven manufacturing and attains half of its turnover based on ...

Trai recommends entry fee cut for mobile, other telecom service licences

Telecom regulator TRAI on Tuesday recommended a cut in the entry fee for mobile and other telecom service licences, and favoured merging of bank guarantees, in a bid to facilitate entry of new players and promote ease of business for existing ones. In a sweeping set of recommendations, the sector regulator has mooted that the entry fee for Unified Licence (UL) in case of access service be halved, which along with suggestions of merging bank guarantees and other measures will "facilitate the orderly growth of the sector". The measures will spur investment and growth, and in effect improve the quality of service and enhance consumer welfare, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). "Entry fee for following UL authorisations should be rationalised...Access service from Rs 1 crore to Rs 50 lakh for each telecom circle/ metro area; from 0.5 crore to 25 lakh for J&K and North east each," TRAI release said. For National and International Long Distance, TRAI has ...

Are private sector executives better than bureaucrats for regulators' job?

Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan said it is better if the person's expertise is considered than whether he/she is a bureaucrat or a private sector executive

Trai invites view to make smartphones affordable for digital inclusion

Telecom regulator Trai on Thursday invited public comments to explore ways and means to make smartphone affordable in the country for digital inclusion. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) as part of its consultation paper on "Digital Inclusion in the Era of Emerging Technologies" will assess if measures taken by the government such as focussing on local manufacturing are sufficient to bring down the prices of smartphones in India. "What measures should be taken to make digital devices and digital connectivity affordable to the citizens for empowering them to maximize the benefits of an inclusive digital society?" Trai asked in the consultation paper. In the paper, Trai has cited example of smartphone financing and exploring viability of second hand smartphones in the country. The regulator sees that the rapid pace of technological advancements and launch of 5G enabled services including artificial intelligence and machine learning can widen digital divide if not made