Page 11 - Telecom Industry

India 6G vision gets global play with acceptance by ITU Study Group

India's vision to have ubiquitous coverage under 6G technology has been accepted by UN body ITU's Study Group in its meeting held at Geneva-- a move that is expected to reduce the cost of deployment of the next generation technology. ITU is responsible for developing international mobile telecommunication standards. "In the current meeting, despite resistance and attempts to reverse our progress by few member states, the Department of Telecommunications was able to successfully include 'Ubiquitous Connectivity' and ratify the framework document," an official statement said on Wednesday. The proposal was accepted by ITU Study group (SG-5) meeting in Geneva held on September 25-26, 2023. IMT 2030, also known as 6G, is being developed by Working Party 5D of ITU-R Study Group 5. India in its 6G vision document, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has proposed 6G technology implementation should be affordable, sustainable and ubiquitous. In the previous meeting of Study group In

Not acquiring Vodafone Idea: Verizon executive denies media reports

Denying that it was in discussions with Vodafone Idea with Verizon, Amazon, or Starlink, Vodafone Idea said that India is an important part of the company's growth plans

No plan to share revenue of OTT platforms with telcos, says govt: Report

Telecom firms have been asking OTT platforms to share their revenues with the telecom service providers as some apps have begun to provide bandwidth-heavy offerings

Trai directs annual audit for telcos, asks to refund overcharged tariff

The audit has to be conducted by a panel of auditors notified by Trai. Non-compliance or failure to submit the report can result in monetary penalties that can go up to Rs 50 lakh

TRAI reduces audit compliance for LSAs, to cover max tariff offerings

Telecom regulator Trai has reduced audit compliance of licensed service areas to once in year from four times earlier but it will cover maximum tariff offerings, including related to international roaming, according to the new regulations on quality of service. The new regulations on Quality of Service (Code of Practice for Metering and Billing Accuracy) Regulations, 2023, dated September 11, 2023, will result in reduction of audit burden by almost 75 per cent and enhance Ease of Doing Business (EODB), Trai said in a release on Wednesday. "Each LSA shall be audited only once in a financial year unlike four times as per old regulations, thereby reducing the audit burden by almost 75 per cent," Trai said. However, while simplifying the audit process, it is also ensured to cover maximum tariff offerings under audit unlike in previous regulation which has the provision for audit of 15 most popular tariff offerings only leaving aside a good number of tariff offerings with less number of

Airtel's contingent liabilities jump from Rs 4,100 cr to Rs 11,500 crore

Troubled Vodafone Idea (VI) has around Rs 7,000 crore in the form of one-time spectrum charge (OTSC) dues

ATIS' Next G Alliance, Bharat 6G Alliance ink MoU to explore collaboration

ATIS' Next G Alliance and Bharat 6G Alliance have signed a pact to explore collaboration opportunities on 6G wireless technologies, according to a release. The work will encompass aligning research and development priorities that support a common 6G vision and creating secure and trusted telecommunications as well as resilient supply chains. "ATIS' Next G Alliance and the Bharat 6G Alliance today announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration opportunities on 6G wireless technologies," the release said. Launched by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), the Next G Alliance is an initiative to advance North American wireless technology leadership over the next decade through private sector-led efforts with the initial focus on 6G. "The efforts of its working groups in Applications, Green G, National 6G Roadmap, Societal and Economic Needs, Spectrum and Technology are building the foundation for North American leadershi

Telecom Bill likely to stipulate authorisation regime for OTT apps

The proposed licensing regime had unsettled several tech firms which had warned that multiple regulations will stall the growth of the OTT communications industry

Reliance Jio seeks up to $2 billion in offshore loans to fund 5G plan

The report neither mentioned the individual amounts that Jio will pay back to Ericsson, BNP and other entities in the loan deal nor clarified whether BNP was acting on behalf of a consortium

Vodafone Idea rises 6% in weak market; stock surges 12% in 5 days

According to reports, the debt-ridden telecom operator plans to clear about Rs 2,400 crore of dues to the government by September

Jio, Airtel drive up telecom subscriber base to 1,173 mn in June: Trai

Telecom subscriber base in the country grew marginally to 1,173.89 million at the end of June on account of new customer additions led by Reliance Jio, sector regulator Trai said on Thursday. The subscriber base growth was driven by mobile telephony where Reliance Jio added over 2.27 million new customers and Bharti Airtel added 1.4 million customers. "The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,172.57 million at the end of May-23 to 1,173.89 million at the end of June-23, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.11 per cent," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said in its monthly subscriber report. However, the overall growth was mitigated by the loss of subscribers by state-owned BSNL, MTNL and Vodafone Idea (VIL). BSNL lost 1.87 million mobile subscribers, VIL lost 1.28 million subscribers and MTNL (1,52,912 subscribers). The net addition in wireless subscribers of telecom operators in the month of June was 3,73,602. "Total wireless subscriber

Telecom services' AGR up sequentially to Rs 64,494 cr in March qtr: TRAI

Telecom service sector's adjusted gross revenue rose 2.5 per cent sequentially to Rs 64,494 crore in March 2023 quarter, according to data released by sector regulator TRAI on Monday. Seen year-on-year, the adjusted gross revenue increased 9.5 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year. Another notable takeaway from the TRAI report was around the metrics of monthly Average Revenue Per User or ARPU, which showed a sequential decline in the case of postpaid, and a quarter-on-quarter rise for the prepaid category. Overall, the monthly ARPU for wireless service increased a tad 0.83 per cent. The gross revenue (GR), Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR) and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of the Telecom Service Sector for the quarter ended March 2023 was pegged at Rs 85,356 crore, Rs 78,631 crore and Rs 64,494 crore, respectively. While the GR decreased by 3.19 per cent, ApGR increased by 2.62 per cent and AGR increased by 2.53 per cent in March 2023 quarter, as compared to the

Trai sees rise in call drops complaint, begins service quality rules review

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday said that it has been receiving a number of call drop complaints from subscribers triggering the need to review existing quality of service rules to measure network performance at the district level and bring 4G-5G services also under its ambit. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said that even with the technological advancement in mobile telecommunications and advancement in performance management tools, the quality of experience (QoE) of consumers has not improved as expected though such quality of service (QoS) requirements are supported by technology standards. "Even with widespread coverage of 4G networks in the country and rollout of 5G services, there are increasing number of complaints of call drops, call muting, low data throughput etc. which raises question marks on the network design and provisioning of required network resources," Trai said. The regulator has proposed to tighten call drop parameters, call success rate etc ..

Amended Right of Way Rules 2023 will expedite 5G network deployment: COAI

The recent amendments made in the Right of Way rules for telecom infrastructure will expedite the 5G rollout in the country and enhance the ease of doing business, industry body COAI said on Friday. The latest amendments provide for a single application for multiple small cell sites and allow licensees to set up temporary overground telegraph infrastructure when their existing underground infrastructure is damaged, among other relaxations. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea etc, said that the provision would help restore telegraph services on priority, thus preventing major disruptions in services to the users. The centre has directed that no fees will be charged by the appropriate authority for this temporary setup. "It will enable rapid network reinstatement in the event of underground telecom infrastructure damage, expedite 5G roll out by utilizing the state's existing infrastructure, simplify application

Tata Communications challenges DoT's Rs 991.5 cr fee demand in TDSAT

Tata Communications has challenged Telecom Department's Rs 991.5 crore licence fee demand pertaining to past years, in TDSAT, which has directed the DoT not to take any coercive action till the next hearing, the company said in a filing on Friday. The Department of Telecom (DoT) in its demand letter dated August 8, 2023, has raised certain license-fee demands of Rs 991.54 crore pertaining to FY 2006-07 (international long-distance and internet service provider) and FY 2007-08 (NLD, ILD and ISP). "These demands have been challenged by the company before...TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal), wherein after hearing both the parties, ...TDSAT, vide its order dated 14 August 2023 received by the company on 17 August 2023, has directed DoT not to take any coercive action till the next hearing," Tata Communications said in a BSE filing. The company further said it has already included the amount in dispute as part of the notes to accounts in the quarterly financial .

Centre makes registration mandatory for SIM card dealers: Details here

The ministry of communications has introduced reforms aimed at safeguarding the telecom ecosystem and enhancing customer protection

Police verification of SIM dealers mandatory to curb frauds: Vaishnaw

The government has made police verification of SIM card dealers mandatory and discontinued the provision of bulk connections to curb fraudulent activities, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. The minister said that the government has disconnected 52 lakh mobile connections. While 67,000 dealers have been blacklisted, 300 FIRs have been filed against SIM card dealers since May 2023. The minister said WhatsApp on its own blocked around 66,000 accounts that were involved in fraudulent activities. "Now we have made police verification of SIM dealers mandatory to curb frauds. Penalty of Rs 10 lakh will be imposed on dealers found violating norms," Vaishnaw said. He said that there are 10 lakh SIM dealers and they will be given sufficient time for police verification. The minister said that the Department of Telecommunications has also discontinued the provision of bulk connections and instead a new concept of business connection will be introduced. "Besides, KYC of ...

Voda Idea to pay Rs 1,680 cr auction instalment with delay of 30 days

Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea has sought 30 days more time to pay around Rs 1,680 crore for spectrum auction instalment due on Thursday, a senior company official said on Wednesday. The company has proposed to pay the amount with interest. "We have submitted a letter to DoT that we propose to pay the spectrum auction instalments of Rs 1,680 crore towards the 2022 auction, which is due on August 17, by availing the grace period of 30 days with interest, in accordance with the terms of NIA (Notice Inviting Applications)," Vodafone Idea chief financial officer Murthy GVAS said during the earnings calls. The development comes even after one of the promoters has confirmed to the company that it will provide direct or indirect financial support to the extent of Rs 2,000 crore in the event of any fund requirement for meeting impending payment obligations. The company has also acquired a 5G spectrum in mid-band (3300 megahertz) and millimetre wave in the 26 GHz band in July 2022 spectrum ...

Telecom service industry to see revenue growth up by 7-9% in FY24: ICRA

The telecom services industry is expected to post moderate revenue growth of 7-9 per cent in FY 24, due to muted average revenue per user (ARPU) expansion in the absence of tariff hikes in the near-term, ICRA said. ICRA believes that the ongoing 5G roll-out entails densification of the network and sizable deployment of fibre, which is likely to increase the capex intensity in the near to medium term. This would keep debt levels elevated at around Rs 6.1-6.2 lakh crore as on March 2024 (as against Rs 6.3 lakh crore as on March 31, 2023). "ICRA expects the telecom services industry to report moderate revenue growth of around 7-9 per cent in FY2024 over FY2023, owing to muted average revenue per user (ARPU) expansion in the absence of tariff hikes in the near-term," ICRA said in a release.

Telecom sector to see 7-9% revenue growth, Rs 70,000 cr capex in FY24: ICRA

The telecom services industry is expected to post moderate revenue growth of 7-9 per cent in FY 24, due to muted average revenue per user (ARPU) expansion in the absence of tariff hikes in the near-term, ICRA said. The industry has been "upfronting" 5G capex (capital expenditure) and ICRA foresees sectoral capex at around Rs 70,000 crore for FY2024, within an overall spend of around Rs 3 lakh crore over the next 4-5 years. ICRA believes that the ongoing 5G roll-out entails densification of the network and sizable deployment of fibre, which is likely to increase the capex intensity in the near to medium term. This would keep debt levels elevated at around Rs 6.1-6.2 lakh crore as on March 2024 (as against Rs 6.3 lakh crore as on March 31, 2023). "ICRA expects the telecom services industry to report moderate revenue growth of around 7-9 per cent in FY2024 over FY2023, owing to muted average revenue per user (ARPU) expansion in the absence of tariff hikes in the near-term," ICRA said