TRAI Spectrum

Trai's recommendations are expected to clarify allocation methodology, frequencies to be used, spectrum pricing, and terms&conditions that satellite operators must meet concerning national security

At a time when 5G and 6G telecom services are a critical discussion point for their use cases or lack of them, satellite communication has divided industry players

Regulator indicates consultation paper on satellite communication won't be retracted

The plan aims to assess all factors affecting the allocation and utilisation of TI resources and proposes potential modifications to enhance the allocation policies and utilisation procedures

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

Operators said such a moratorium is needed on spectrum bought in auctions from next year due to significant capital expenditure incurred in deploying 5G services

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

For more efficient utilisation of the scarce spectrum, Trai has recommended that spectrum leasing and inter-band spectrum sharing also be permitted

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

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

Bharti Airtel, the second-largest player in the market, saw its subscriber count increase by 0.35 million, much lower than the 1.32 million users the company added in September

while the market for satellite broadband currently is small ($10-15 million), the potential is large as an estimated 30% of the country does not have reliable terrestrial broadband services

Jio has consistently posted robust growth in user numbers, having added 2.2 million users in June

Says JioSpaceFiber will leverage fewer satellites to provide gigabit speed broadband service

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

DoT was informed by Jio that its requirement to use E-band for access services is in alignment with international standards of 3GPP

Allow news on private FM radio, with effective self-regulation

The MoU has brought the two parties, Trai CSR and C-DoT together to reach the common goal of establishing a mechanism of technical and institutional cooperation in the field of telecommunications

The regulation covered all basic services operators and internet service providers which included BSNL, MTNL, and VSNL

Popular applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram are likely to be among the apps under consideration for a selective ban