Broadband Services

SAR Televenture to acquire Tikona Infinet for Rs 669 cr in cash, stock deal

Network infrastructure company SAR Televenture on Monday announced that it will acquire internet service provider Tikona Infinet for Rs 669 crore in a cash and stock deal. The two parties have entered into an agreement under which SAR will acquire a 91 per cent stake in Tikona for Rs 669.04 crore in cash and stock deal, a statement said. Tikona Infinet will become a significant subsidiary of SAR Televenture and Tikona shareholders will get SAR Televenture shares. SAR, which is listed on the SME platform of NSE, would be able to expand its business post-deal, especially those in the enterprise sector, the statement said, adding there are operational synergies between the two businesses which will create cost savings. Post deal completion, timelines for which were not revealed, the SAR group will become an integrated telecom services provider with a presence in ISP services, IP1 services, broadband and enterprise services, the statement said. In FY24, the registered sales of the ..

GX group aims for 60% reusable materials in products within two years: CEO

Broadband equipment maker GX Group has set a target to use 60 per cent reusable material across all its products over the next two years, a top company official said. GX Group CEO Paritosh Prajapati told PTI that India is poised to become the second-largest fibre broadband market globally with 110 million active fibre lines by 2030, which poses a rising challenge in managing the environmental impact of telecom infrastructure. "India's climate action goals, which aim for net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the European Union mandates stringent emissions controls on imports, and similar rules are also expected to be in India. We have set sustainability goals to use 60 per cent of reusable material in our products in the next two years," Prajapati said. The telecom production linked incentive (PLI) qualified company claims to have become the first firm in India to launch WiFi routers and GPON ONTs (broadband modems for high capacity optic

IPTV to challenge cable TV mkt in India: Excitel Broadband CEO Vivek Raina

Fixed line broadband player aims to triple 1 million customer base in 3 years

SAR Televenture to raise Rs 450 cr via FPO, rights issue to fund expansion

Telecommunication infrastructure provider SAR Televentures Ltd is looking to raise Rs 450 crore through a combination of Further Public Offer (FPO) and a rights issue to fund the company's expansion plans. The Noida-based SAR Televentures, which made its debut on NSE's Emerge platform in November 2023, is engaged in the business of installing and commissioning telecom towers in India. The composite public issue with a face value of Rs 2 consists of a further public offer of Rs 200 crore and a rights issue of Rs 250 crore, according to the draft offer documents filed last week. Proceeds from the issue, to the extent of Rs 273 crore will be used for funding the setting up of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network solutions for 3 lakh home passes; Rs 42.50 crore for setting up of an additional 1,000 number of 4G/5G telecom towers; Rs 30 crore for funding incremental working capital requirement of the company. Besides, funds will be used for general corporate purposes. As part of its strateg

OneWeb sets sights on defence, governance for satellite broadband expansion

One Web can leverage on the fact that it has already rolled out services in parts of Europe, US and Africa and is in talks with at least 2 airline companies in Europe to offer the service inflight

Telecom Bill consumer-centric, pro-investor; clarifies on key issues: BIF

Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Wednesday said the new telecom bill brings clarity on a slew of important issues facing the sector, including the regulator's power and functions, protection and duties of telecom users, and exclusion of OTTs from the purview of telecom regulations. In a statement, the industry body said its executive council, at its recent meeting, praised the bill, and termed it a historic milestone and extremely progressive. The bill, BIF said, is consumer-centric and investor-friendly, and will propel the growth of the sector. BIF said the bill brings in clarity on a plethora of key issues, including Trai's power and functions, protection and duties of telecom users and clarity in definition of telecommunication services. There is also clarity on issues such as exclusion of OTTs from the purview of telecom regulations, administrative allocation of satellite spectrum and certain other types of spectrum, right of way issues, spurring of Universal Service and ...

OneWeb gets regulatory approval to launch satellite broadband services

OneWeb India is the first organisation to be granted this authorisation. Eutelsat OneWeb, the low earth orbit operator, is part of Eutelsat Group

Nokia bags WiFi6-ready broadband gear deal from Tata Play Fiber

Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia on Thursday said it has bagged a broadband gear supply deal from Tata Play Fiber to launch India's first WiFi6-ready broadband network. Nokia said with increasing broadband usage in both residential and enterprise areas, there is significant demand for new, high-capacity broadband connections and to meet this demand, broadband networks need future proof fiber and in-home solutions that can scale in line with evolving end-customer needs. Under the contract, Nokia will ship WiFi6 Mesh technology which the company claims is ideally suited to residential homes with large and multi-floor spaces, as well as for small office/home office (SOHO) enterprises, which represent a large addressable market in India. "Our partnership with Nokia allows us to bring WiFi6-ready network to our customers - which is a first in the category. "The deployment of this next generation best-in-class optical networking solution will boost up speed and coverage for multiple smar

Soon, you will be able to use satcom services on your phone; here's how

At the present moment, there are 5-6 devices available in the global market that provide support for satellite connectivity

Airtel vs Jio: Is satellite communication next battleground for disruption?

It is Airtel vs Jio again as a new wave of satellite communication promises to take broadband internet to the remotest corners

Tata Sons comes to rescue of Tata Play as it faces growth headwinds

Tata Sons' deal with Temasek is expected to value Tata Play at around $1 billion, or around Rs 8,300 crore

Amazon confirms plans to offer 'affordable broadband' through satcom

An Amazon spokesperson said that Project Kuiper (Amazon's broadband-from-space venture) will bring fast internet services to underserved communities around the world

Govt approves sharing of cable TV infra with broadband service providers

The government has notified amendments to the Cable Television Network Rules-1994, that grant registration for multi-system operators for a 10-year period and make the process online through the Broadcast Seva Portal. The amended rules for MSO registration also enable the sharing of infrastructure by cable operators with broadband service providers to promote internet penetration to the last mile. Besides shifting the process of registration and renewal of MSOs to online mode through the Broadcast Seva Portal of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the amended rules make it clear that registration shall be granted or renewed for a period of 10 years. The processing fee of Rs 1 lakh is kept for the renewal of registration, the rules said. According to the rules, the application for registration renewal shall be made within a window of seven to two months before the expiry of the registration. "The renewal procedure is in line with the government's commitment to ease of doi

Cabinet approves Rs 1.39 trn for connecting 640,000 villages with broadband

The Union Cabinet has approved a last-mile broadband connectivity plan for 6.4 lakh villages across the country under the BharatNet project with an outlay of Rs 1.39 lakh crore, according to sources. Around 1.94 lakh villages have been connected under the BharatNet project at present, and the balance is likely to be connected in two and a half years, they added. "The Cabinet in its meeting, held on Friday evening, has approved Rs 1,39,579 crore for providing last mile optical fibre-based connectivity to homes in all villages of the country," one of the sources said. The last-mile connectivity will be provided by Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), an arm of state-owned BSNL, in partnership with village level entrepreneur (VLE). "The model to take fibre-to-the-home, with the help of a local entrepreneur, was finalised after the successful completion of a pilot project. The pilot project was initially carried out to connect villages in four districts and then expanded to 60,000

BT Group to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as fibre and AI tech arrive

The company has been working through a transformation plan to build a national fibre network under boss Philip Jansen, as well as rolling out high-speed 5G mobile services

Tech and telecom equipment companies seek 6 GHz band delicensing

Broadband India Forum has pushed for the key mid band to be kept open for Wi-Fi services

Signal strength: Reliance Jio wages price war in fixed-line broadband

The growth of the home broadband market in India has been constrained by the fact that only 10 per cent of the households are connected by fibre

OneWeb satellites soon to offer space-based internet services globally

Bharti Enterprise-backed OneWeb is one step away from completing its constellation of over 600 low earth orbit satellites, paving the way to offer broadband internet services from space to every corner of the world. OneWeb, a company backed by the British government, Bharti Enterprises, Eutelsat, SoftBank, Hughes Networks and Hanwha, has launched internet from space services in countries located above 50 degrees north latitude -- Alaska, Canada, Greenland, UK and Northern Europe. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) is set to launch 36 OneWeb satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on March 26, a move which will add to the United Kingdom-based company's existing constellation of 582 satellites. We are one launch away from achieving global coverage. This last launch with ISRO/NSIL will mark over 600 satellites in space, which is the number needed to go commercially live, a spokesperson of OneWeb told PTI. NewsSpace India

BIF advocates new framework to improve submarine cables; upgrade stations

Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Tuesday underlined the need to promote competition, innovation, and investment in the domain of submarine cable landing stations, as the industry body advocated for non-discriminatory and open access to all potential seekers of international connectivity. The think tank has emphasised the need for creation of robust submarine cable systems connected to India as well as geo-diversity and augmentation of submarine cable landing infrastructure, according to a statement by BIF. "Through its consultation paper on 'Licensing Framework and Regulatory Mechanism for Submarine Cable Landing in India' to the TRAI, BIF...has underscored the need to promote competition, innovation, and investment in the domain of submarine cable landing stations and provide equal, fair, non-discriminatory and open access to all potential seekers of international connectivity," it said. This will help satiate the demand for data, consumption of which is rising by the day. The new .

Nokia extends manufacturing of fibre broadband equipment to India

Telecom equipment maker Nokia on Thursday said it will extend manufacturing of PON optical line terminals (OLTs) to its factory in Sriperimbudur near Chennai to cater to rising demand from local customers in India and global markets. PON stands for Passive Optical Network. In a statement announcing the latest move, Nokia said shifts in consumer behaviour, from home working to data-rich entertainment services, are driving demand for broadband. "This demand is matched by strong institutional support with significant funding from governments and private equity funds around the world that are driving investments in broadband and fibre connectivity," according to the company. Nokia is currently a participant in the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and is extending its production capacity into Chennai in response to growing demand. Demand for fibre is also shifting to new regions with the Asia-Pacific region witnessing strong demand in markets like Japan, India and