Page 7 - Telecom Industry

Vi expects 5G rollout in 6-9 months after FPO worth Rs 18,000 crore

Ahead of its Rs 18,000 crore further public offer (FPO), Vodafone Idea on Monday said it expects to roll out 5G services in select pockets in 6-9 months of the issue. Its Chief Executive Akshaya Moondra said rollout of the 5G services is one of the objectives of raising the capital from the public and once the funding comes, it will start work on the rollout. The 5G rollout will cover 40 per cent of the company's overall revenue base in the next 24-30 months, Moondra said, without sharing a specific target on when the rollout will happen. A sum of Rs 5,720 crore has been allocated for the rollout, he said, adding that testing and vendor conversations have already begun. However, he did not specify the locations where the rollout will happen. It can be noted that both its rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio -- to whom it has ceded market share -- have been active on 5G for some months now. Moondra said the company has not been able to roll out 5G services because of lack of ...

DoT to seek Trai's view on satcom spectrum allocation, licensing process

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to approach Trai this month to seek the regulator's views on method and pricing for allocation of spectrum and scope of licences to be issued for satcom services, according to sources. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had floated a consultation paper on "Assignment of Spectrum for Space-based Communication Services" on April 6, 2023 but returned the reference back to DoT after announcement of new Telecommunication Act. "DoT will seek views of Trai on pricing and methodology to allocate spectrum for space based communication services. It may also look to fine-tune existing licences to bring in full clarity on the kind of services that satcom companies with administratively allocated spectrum can provide," a source, who did not wish to be named, told PTI. Satcom or satellite communication technology enables service providers to ensure internet connectivity in remote areas or difficult terrain. Bharti Group-backed

Allow only Indian entities to participate in regulatory sandbox, says Trai

Only Indian nationals or entities should be eligible to participate in telecom regulatory sandboxes that can provide real-time but regulated access to networks and customer resources during product or technology tests, sector regulator Trai recommended on Friday. The Telecommunications Act, 2023, has introduced the provision of setting up multiple regulatory sandboxes. The regulatory sandbox (RS) will emphasise on testing of new products, services, processes, and business models in a live testing environment on a limited set of users for a specified period of time after obtaining certain regulatory relaxations. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended that the Department of Telecom shall put in place an end-to-end digital process to handle RS applications and all related activities, including intimations, approvals, sharing of information, monitoring, reporting requirements etc. "Only Indian nationals or entities will be eligible," Trai said in its recommendatio

Vodafone Idea to launch country's largest $2.16 bn follow-on public offer

The public offering will open for bids on April 18 and close on April 22

Number of telecom subscribers up marginally to 1.197 bn in Feb: Trai

The number of telecom subscribers in India increased 0.38 per cent to 119.7 crore in February 2024 as compared to the previous month, according to a TRAI report published on Monday. The urban telephone subscription increased to 66.37 crore while rural subscription increased to 53.13 crore with a sequential growth rate of 0.40 per cent and 0.34 per cent, respectively. The total broadband subscribers also increased from 91.10 crore at the end of January to 91.67 crore at February-end, as per the monthly subscriber report published by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Top five service providers constituted 98.35 per cent of the total broadband subscribers. The service provider are Reliance Jio Infocomm (52.2 per cent), Bharti Airtel (29.41 per cent), Vodafone Idea (13.80 per cent), BSNL (2.69 per cent), and Atria Convergence (0.24 per cent). All circles in both wireline and wireless segments registered growth in subscriber base in February, the report said. The wireline .

Trai begins consultation on pricing, terms for new spectrum bands

Telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday sought stakeholder views on the auction of new three spectrum bands-- 3737.5 GHz, 37.540 GHz and 42.543.5 GHz for mobile services, as it released a consultation paper to discuss issues related to pricing, validity and payment terms of these radiowaves. This is the first time three spectrum bands in 37-37.5 Ghz, 37.5-40 Ghz and 42.5-43.5 Ghz are being proposed for the auction. The proposal will make available 4,000 Mhz spectrum for 5G services in the future. These blocks are different from the bands -- 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz which that be put on the block in the upcoming spectrum auctions scheduled for June 6. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has today released a Consultation Paper on 'Auction of Spectrum in 37-37.5 GHz, 37.5-40 GHz and 42.5-43.5 GHz bands Identified for IMT," an official release said. TRAI, in the consultation paper, has sought industry's opinion on vari

Vodafone Idea receives shareholders' approval for Rs 20,000 cr fundraising

Proposed financing may go towards Vodafone Idea's long-awaited 5G rollout and fortifying its 4G services

Jio cements market lead with 4.18 mn mobile subscriber addition in Jan

India's largest telecom company Reliance Jio added 41.78 lakh mobile subscribers in January 2024, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday. Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel upped its wireless subscriber count by 7.52 lakh, taking its mobile tally to 38.24 crore in January. Vodafone Idea continued to bleed on the subscriber front, and the troubled telco lost 15.2 lakh wireless subscribers. Its mobile subscriber base stood at 22.15 crore in January, as per TRAI data. Jio cemented its position in the telecom market and added 41.78 lakh wireless subscribers, as the January gains pushed up its mobile users tally to 46.39 crore.

Ericsson to slash 1,200 Swedish jobs in bid to cut costs amid lower sales

The company also plans to cut costs separately by eliminating facilities and the use of consultants and will streamline processes, it said in a statement on Monday

Vi surrenders partial spectrum in Uttar Pradesh east, West Bengal

Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea has surrendered partial spectrum in 900 and 1800 Mhz band that were due for renewal in 2024. While the amount of spectrum surrendered by Vodafone Idea could not be ascertained, sources indicated it to be around 12 megahertz in both bands. When contacted, Vodafone Idea spokesperson said, "Upon assessing our usage and needs, we have surrendered some spectrum in both West Bengal and UP East. We remain committed to providing seamless services to our customers while also focussing on optimising for operational efficiency and future growth". Separately, in an investor presentation, VIL said it has completed the minimum roll out requirement for 5G services in 4 telecom circles, and the company has a target to cover 40 per cent of revenues population coverage with 5G in the first 24-30 months.

Wireless data revenue rises 22% to Rs 1.74 trn in FY23, teledensity down

Revenue from wireless data usage in the country increased by about 22 per cent to Rs 1.74 lakh crore in the financial year 2022-23, a report by telecom regulator Trai said on Tuesday. According to the report, the revenue from wireless data services was Rs 1.43 lakh crore in the financial year 2021-22. "Total revenue from wireless data usage increased from Rs 1,43,169 crore in the year 2021-22 to Rs 1,74,144 crore in the year 2022-23 with yearly rate of growth of 21.63 per cent," Trai's Yearly Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for the year 2022-23 said. The increase in wireless data revenue usage was mainly on account of growth in user base as telecom operators are yet to monetise 5G data services that were launched in October 2022. The gross revenue of telecom service providers increased by 19.94 per cent to over Rs 3.33 lakh crore in FY'23 from Rs 2.78 lakh crore in FY'22. However, the adjusted gross revenue (AGR), based on which the government calculates its levies,

Telecom spectrum auction for 8 bands starts from May 20, says DoT

10,523 MHz up for sale, reserve price of spectrum is Rs 96,317 cr

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

Telecom giants shift focus to tier-based post-paid tariffs to boost revenue

Higher-priced family-pack bundles offer multiple mobile connections, generous data allowances, and subscriptions to popular OTT streaming apps to encourage users to upgrade to higher-ARPU-generation

DoT's new CHAKSU portal to allow citizens to report fraudulent calls

A new Digital Intelligence Portal will help banks, agencies and telecom operators to share data on suspected fraud

Telcos made Rs 10,000 crore extra capex to support large apps: COAI

Telecom operators are estimated to have spent an additional Rs 10,000 crore in 2022-23 to support traffic generated by large entertainment and communication apps, according to an estimate of telecom industry body COAI. Cellular Operators Association of India, Director General, SP Kochhar told PTI that the infrastructure support provided by telecom operators to top 4-5 apps large traffic generator apps also corresponds to their revenue growth and in the absence of fair share norms for large apps, the government has lost about Rs 800 crore revenue in 2023 alone. He said that the industry body has submitted a white paper to the Ministry of Finance in this regard in January. "The additional capex required to provide the infrastructure to carry the LTG-related data traffic for the year 2023 alone amounts to around Rs 10,000 crore. Accordingly, the proposed fair share to TSPs on the amount would have resulted in enhancing AGR-related licence fees and USOF levies (combined 8 per cent of A

Here's how Centre is gearing up BSNL to compete with private telecom peers

The measures include network upgradation, employee cost rationalisation and a proposal to provide more value-added services

Additional Rs 10,000 crore capex spent on OTT: COAI to Finance Ministry

In a letter to Finance Secretary Somanathan COAI said a fair charge charge would lead to Rs. 800 crore additional tax revenues

HCLSoftware, Intel launch solution to power next generation 5G networks

HCLSoftware, a division of HCL Technologies, on Monday announced a strategic partnership with Intel Corporation to deliver a joint 5G User Plane Function (UPF) acceleration solution, aiming to power the next-generation 5G networks. The joint solution drives cost reduction for operational expenses and capital expenses by up to 80 per cent, the company said in a statement. HCLSoftware 5G UPF Acceleration Solution is a cloud-native software solution incorporating configurable hardware offloading capabilities for both network Edge and Core deployments. It said that the solution improves subscriber user experience and reduces costs for mobile network operators. HCLSoftware collaborated with Viettel Group, a telecom and technology firm based in Vietnam, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the UPF Acceleration Solution. The results showed improved 5G network throughput and reduced latency, ultimately expected to enhance subscriber user experiences and reduce mobile operator costs. "Our 5

Wipro, Nokia partner to provide 5G private wireless corporate solutions

IT services firm Wipro on Monday said it has partnered with Finnish telecom and IT company Nokia to deliver private wireless solutions to enterprises. Through this solution, enterprises will be able to create an integrated private environment that they can control to better manage their performance and mitigate security risks, as per a statement said. Wipro said the joint private wireless solution with Nokia will "help enterprises scale their digital transformation". This joint solution will provide enterprises with a more secure 5G private wireless network solution integrated with their operation infrastructure, it said. "The solution will bring greater reliability, mobility, connectivity speed, real-time access to business insights, and the ability to process high volumes of data with low latency," the statement said. This AI-driven solution will initially be made available to customers in the manufacturing, energy, utilities, transportation, and sports entertainment ...