Page 5 - Telecom Industry

Rs 96,000 crore telecom 5G spectrum auction to start today: Check details

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea are likely to jointly invest Rs 12,500 crore in spectrum purchases, representing around 13% of the total Rs 96,320 crore worth of airwaves on offer

Telecom dept to begin auctions for Rs 96,318 crore spectrum on Tuesday

With lower EMD and more focus on renewals, auctions may be muted

Bharti Airtel in talks to buy 3% more stake in Indus Towers from Vodafone

If this sale is successful, Bharti Airtel will become the majority stakeholder in Indus Towers with a 52% shareholding

Vodafone Idea seeks Rs 23,000 crore term loan to boost 4G and 5G rollouts

Telecom major Vi plans to invest Rs 50,000-55,000 crore over the next three years to enhance and strengthen its 4G connectivity and rollout 5G networks in key markets

Debt repay call: Vodafone may sell $2.3 billion stake in Indus Towers

Vodafone owns 21.5% of mobile-tower operator Indus via various group entities. As of Friday's closing stock price in Mumbai, the investment is worth $2.3 billion

Telecom dept defers live auction of eight spectrum bands to June 25

The Department of Telecom (DoT) on Tuesday postponed the spectrum auction by 19 days to June 25, as per information available on its website. According to amendments made in the notice inviting applications for bids on Tuesday, the new date for "start of the live auction" has been changed to June 25 from June 6. The government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. All the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands are part of the auction. Reliance Jio has deposited the highest earnest money of Rs 3,000 crore for the spectrum auction, which gives the company the potential to bid for maximum radiowaves. According to pre-qualified bidder details released by the DoT, Bharti Airtel has submitted the earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 1,050 crore and Vodafone Idea (VIL) of Rs 300 crore. Companies get points based on the EMD amount they have deposited,

Spectrum auction signal fades: Lowest earnest money deposit since 2013

Mock auction kicks off on Tuesday, real bidding starts June 6

Manufacturing telecom gear in India may get a Rs 3,000 crore push

TTDF aims to fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology applications

5G subscriber up 20-25%, yet tariff upside may be minimal: Report

India's 5G subscriber count is seen rising several notches to 20-25 per cent of the overall base in one year, but though telcos are in a "better position" to execute tariff increase, actual visibility on a "meaningful" increase remains uncertain, Ind-Ra said. According to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), this is because globally too 5G has not yielded any major tariff premium over 4G rates. The use cases of 5G in India are still limited to applications such as video streaming and multi-person video calls. The Fitch Group company, in its telecom outlook FY25 has maintained a neutral outlook on the sector for the current fiscal. It expects the subscriber base to reach 20-25 per cent over the next one year from about 17 per cent currently, in line with global experience. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), it said, may continue to exhibit organic growth albeit the growth rates, per se, have tapered somewhat. Ind-Ra believes Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have an opportunity to captur

MTNL Q4 results: Net loss widens to Rs 817 cr on high finance costs

State-run telecom company MTNL has reported widening of losses to Rs 817.58 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2024, mainly on account of high finance costs, according to a regulatory filing. The company had recorded a loss of Rs 745.78 crore in the same period a year ago. The finance cost of the loss-making telecom PSU increased to Rs 688.93 crore from Rs 640.91 crore a year ago. The revenue from operations of MTNL fell by about 5 per cent to Rs 192.66 crore during the reported quarter from Rs 202.35 in March 2023 quarter. MTNL's revenue from basic telephone operations comprising landline broadband services fell by 2 per cent to Rs 184.78 crore during March 2024 quarter from Rs 188.68 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago. The company's revenue from cellular services fell by about 42 per cent to Rs 8.16 crore during the reported quarter from Rs 14 crore in March 2023 quarter. The maintenance and running of MTNL wireless network has been handed over to BSNL as an

'Telcos will pay GST along with instalments towards spectrum charges'

Telecom companies will have to pay GST along with the instalments paid towards spectrum charges, a senior official said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) will hold the next round of spectrum auction on June 6 for eight spectrum bands meant for mobile phone services. The base price for the auction has been set at Rs 96,317 crore. The spectrum will be assigned for 20 years and successful bidders will be allowed to make payments in 20 equal annual instalments in the coming mega auction. The official said Goods and Services Tax (GST) will have to be paid at 18 per cent by telecom companies along with each instalment. "The GST Council in its next meeting is likely to clarify the procedure for payment of GST by companies winning the bids during the spectrum auction," the official told PTI. The clarification will end confusion among field formations regarding the method for collection of GST in the auction process. All the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz,

Ambani sets sights on African telecom market, plans to develop 5G infra

Radisys Corp., a unit of Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Ltd., will provide key network infrastructure, applications and smartphones for Ghana-based Next-Gen InfraCo

June spectrum auction: Jio likely to spend Rs 12,000 cr, Airtel Rs 8,000 cr

Jio is expected to take the lead in the auction once again, with plans to bolster its spectrum portfolio, particularly in the 800 MHz band across certain circles

Ericsson mulls telecom equipment export from India in future amid 5G boom

Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson expects significant use cases to emerge in India for 5G services that will drive densification of telecom networks in the country, a senior company official said on Wednesday. Ericsson India Managing Director Nitin Bansal, at a company's event to showcase 5G technology, said the company is actively engaging with academia, partners, and ecosystem players to develop relevant India-specific use cases. "Significant use cases will emerge in India within the next 12 to 24 months, facilitated by the network slicing capability of 5G technology," Bansal said. India continues to be a strategic market for us and the second-largest market for Ericsson, he added. When asked about green shoots for Ericsson in India after investment in the 5G network rollout is tapering down, Bansal said the demand for 5G will demand for densification of networks. "While the 5G rollouts have stabilised in the country given the rapid rollout and expansion of last year, we do, .

Telcos collaborate with tech partners to curb unwanted calls, messages

The Centre has currently designated the 140 number series for promotional voice calls, and the 160 number series for transactional and service-related voice calls

Trai to announce stricter norms for call disruptions, video jitters on 5G

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

Telcos to snap 1.8 million mobile connections in cybercrime crackdown

The government believes that telcos need to be more proactive in detecting usage patterns of SIMs, particularly those purchased outside home circles

Substantial rise in mobile tariffs needed in India: Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal

Hints at multiple tariff hikes, says free 5G data dragging down Arpu

Glad to see VIL's fund raise; India to benefit from 3 pvt telcos: Airtel MD

Bharti Airtel Managing Director Gopal Vittal on Wednesday said he was happy to see Vodafone Idea raising funds and asserted that India will be well-served with three private players operating in the market. The comment assumes significance as Airtel's smaller rival Vodafone Idea recently raised Rs 18,000 crore pulling-off India's largest-ever follow-on public offering (FPO). The fundraise is expected to arm VIL with firepower to improve its competitive positioning in the Indian telecom market, where it trails Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, by a wide margin. Speaking at an earnings call of Airtel, Vittal fielded a question on how he sees competitive intensity in the market, post the capital raise by VIL. Vittal said he was glad to see that VIL has raised money, and that he wished them well. "India will be well-served if it has three operators... three private operators working. (On) Whether we need to push harder, we are pushing hard everyday, so it is an ongoing effort... it is a

Value of mergers and acquisitions at lowest level in at least 76 months

With 98 deals, the total value of M&A stood at $1.8 billion. In the same month last year, the value was $8 billion across 204 deals