Page 8 - Telecom Industry

Truecaller launches premium AI-powered call recording feature in India

Swedish caller identification app Truecaller on Monday announced the launch of AI-powered call recording feature in India that offers transcription and call summary. AI call recording is a paid feature, and will be available with a Truecaller Premium subscription, the company said, adding that it works seamlessly across both Android and iOS devices. The new addition provides users with the ability to record incoming and outgoing calls directly within the Truecaller app. This offers a convenient and efficient way to capture and manage important conversations. Announcing the launch of AI-enabled call recording feature, a company release said that by leveraging Artificial Intelligence technology, Truecaller empowers users to fully engage in their live conversation without the need to be concerned about taking detailed notes, thus improving productivity during calls. "The integration of AI into the newly launched call recording feature marks a significant leap forward, allowing for a .

Tarun Chhabra to replace Sanjay Malik as Nokia India country manager

Finnish IT and tech firm Nokia on Tuesday announced the appointment of Tarun Chhabra as its country manager in India with effect from April 1, 2024. He will replace Sanjay Malik who retires on March 31, 2024. "Tarun Chhabra will continue in his role of Head of Mobile Networks Market India in addition to assuming India Country Manager responsibilities," the company said in a statement. "India is such an important market for Nokia and I believe that, in this new role, I will be able to help our customers to benefit from Nokia's leading technology across our portfolio, at a time when technology is playing a vital role than ever before in the lives of organizations, companies, individuals and societies," Chhabra said.

Farmers' protest: Haryana extends suspension of internet till Feb 20

The Haryana government on Monday further extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts by a day till February 20 in the wake of the farmers' ongoing 'Delhi Chalo' agitation. These districts are Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa, the government said in an order. The government had earlier extended the suspension on February 13, 15 and 17. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation to put pressure on the Centre for their demands, including a law on a minimum support price (MSP) for crops and loan waivers. Thousands of protesting farmers continue to camp at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border to press for their demands. The farmers from Punjab began their march to Delhi on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri points. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then. The ..

Finolex Cables to double optic fibre cable capacity for Rs 580 cr capital

Finolex Cables on Monday signed an agreement with the Maharashtra industries department to invest Rs 580 crore to more than double its optic fibre cables capacity to 10 million fibre km per year as 5G rollout is leading to higher demand for last mile connectivity. Finolex Cables has an existing capacity of 4 million fibre km per year which will touch 10 million fibre km per year after the commissioning of the new plant. The new plant will be solely catering to fibre optic cables, the company said in a statement. The statement did not specify where the project will come up or when the work will begin and be completed. This expansion initiative encompasses installation of fibre draw towers and the implementation of backward integration for producing glass pre-forms, crucial in the fibre drawing process. With this, Finolex Cables will be the second company in the country to manufacture glass preforms, a vital component for optical fibre production. The proposed upgrade will see the d

Jio tries to woo Airtel users on V-day with classic 'call me' pickup line

Reliance Jio has picked a playful banter with Airtel on social media on Valentine's Day, asking the customers of the rival telco not to ignore "red" flags in their relationship, dishing out the flirtatious 'call me' pick up line. In reply, Airtel shared its campaign "Sab Kuch Try Karo, Fir Sahi Chuno" (Try everything, then choose right). "Dear @airtelindia users, This Valentine's, don't ignore the 'RED' flags in your relationship. It's time to move on from your 'Ex'-stream. Here's my number 60008-60008. Call me maybe," Reliance Jio said on X. Jio often comes out with banter on the eve of Valentine's Day. While earlier it used to tag Vodafone Idea, the company this time directed towards its rival Airtel only. Airtel customers took the opportunity and posted their complaints like the network issue they are facing. Reliance Jio replied to most of the customers who posted complaints against Airtel. "What better day than Valentine's to find your true love?" Jio tweeted when a custome

Real improvement in Arpu to come only with tariff repair: Airtel MD Vittal

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said while there has been a clear rise in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) on an 'organic basis', the "real improvement" in this metrics will come from "tariff repair". During the company's Q3 investor call, Bharti Airtel Managing Director Gopal Vittal asserted it is not a question of whether tariff repair will happen, but rather when it will happen. "The real improvement will come only if there is a tariff repair. As I have mentioned before it is not a question of if tariff repair will happen, it is a question of when it will happen," the Airtel top honcho said. There has been an improvement in ARPU in the absence of tariffs hikes too, he noted citing the organic levers. "We have seen improvement in ARPU in absence of tariffs hikes...yes, in some quarters it is higher, some quarters lower. But if you take slightly longer timeframe there is clearly a movement up in the ARPU on an organic basis, given the levers that I spoke about...post paid

Bharti Airtel Q3 results: Profit jumps 54% to Rs 2,442 cr; revenue up 5.8%

Airtel prepaid mobile customers are required to pay at least Rs 155 for about a month-long service as the company had raised rates by 56 per cent in January 2023

Govt pegs non-tax revenue from communications at Rs 1.20 trillion for FY25

The government has pegged non-tax revenue collection estimates from the communications sector at about Rs 1.20 lakh crore for 2024-25 and expects to exceed the budget estimates for the current fiscal. As per the interim budget document, the government has revised the revenue estimate from other communication services' for the current fiscal to Rs 93,541.01 crore from the earlier projection of Rs 89,469.17 crore mentioned in the previous budget. The revenue collections for 2024-25 are seen at Rs 1,20,267.31 crore. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim Budget on Thursday. The full Budget will be presented by the new government after the Lok Sabha elections. The actual revenue receipts of the government in 2022-23 were Rs 64,835.17 crore. The non-tax revenue receipts from the other communication services mainly relate to licence fees from telecom operators and receipts on account of spectrum usage charges. The Department of Telecom collects recurring licence fees

Interim Budget 2024: What do the telecom and GCC companies expect?

Budget 2024: Experts in the telecom and GCC sectors expect more incentives for manufacturing and subsidies for capital requirements

Vodafone Idea Q3 results: Loss narrows to Rs 6,986 cr, revenue remains flat

Telecom operator Vodafone Idea (VIL) on Monday reported narrowing of losses to Rs 6,986 crore in the third quarter of the current fiscal. The losses stood at Rs 7,990 crore a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. During the quarter under review, the revenue from operations for the ailing telco came in at Rs 10,673.1 crore, nearly flat over the corresponding period previous year. VIL's revenue from operations stood at Rs 10,620.6 crore in the third quarter of FY23. In a statement, the company said its ARPU (average revenue per user) in the reporting quarter stood at Rs 145 against Rs 135 in the third quarter of FY23. This translates into a year-on-year growth of 7.4 per cent. Akshaya Moondra, CEO of Vodafone Idea, said: "We are pleased to report highest EBITDA of Rs 21.4 billion in last 11 quarters. In line with the evolving industry landscape and changing customer needs, we have revamped our offerings as well as focusing on our execution to effectively compete in the

Airtel launches 14 stores in Pune, to display entire range of offerings

Bharti Airtel on Monday said it has launched 14 next-gen company-owned stores in Pune, which will be a one-stop-shop for all its offerings. In a release, the company said the stores will display the entire range of Airtel's offerings, including Xstream, Xsafe, and 5G Plus. The store staff, referred to as 'Airtel Friends', are trained to address and resolve customer queries across the telecom operator's portfolio, including mobile, broadband, and DTH. The new Airtel stores have been opened up in Pashan, Phursungi, Pimple Gurav, Dighi, BT Kawde Road, Dhayri, Sangvi, Keshav Nagar, Chikali, Lohegaon, Bhosari, Wadgaon Sheri, Nigdi, and Katraj Kondwa. "...Maharashtra continues to be a big focus market for us and we will continue to invest in this market," said George Mathen, CEO-Maharashtra, Bharti Airtel. The 14 new stores add to the existing count of 29 stores in the city.

Nokia Q4 results: Profit drops to $619 mn amid 5G cutback, sales down 23%

Nokia on Thursday reported a double-digit decline in sales and a fall in profit in the last three months of 2023, with the wireless and fixed-network equipment maker saying operators are cutting back on investments into 5G and other technology because of economic uncertainty. The Espoo, Finland-based company reported net profit of 568 million euros ($619 million) for the October-to-December quarter, down from 929 million euros in the same period a year earlier. Nokia is one of the world's main suppliers of 5G, the latest generation of broadband technology, along with Sweden's Ericsson, China's Huawei and South Korea's Samsung. Nokia's net income attributable to shareholders came in at 558 million euros in the fourth quarter, down from 931 million euros the previous year. Nokia's sales also fell 23%, to 5.7 billion euros from 7.5 billion euros. In 2023 we saw a meaningful shift in customer behaviour impacting our industry driven by the macro-economic environment and high interest ..

Got Rs 300 cr dues plus monthly collection from customer: Indus Towers

Telecom infrastructure company Indus Towers on Wednesday said it has collected and recognised on its books an amount of Rs 300 crore against the past dues alongwith 100 per cent monthly collection from a major customer. In its Q3FY24 earnings call, the tower company said that it does see the entry of satellite internet companies like Starlink and others as a threat to tower requirements from telcos at this stage, since satellites primarily provide the backhaul connectivity complimentary to telecom services, by reaching uncovered areas. Without naming Vodafone Idea, Indus Towers Chief Financial Officer Vikas Poddar said with regard to a major customer, the company has collected and recognised Rs 300 crore against the past dues in addition to the full monthly collection. "With regard to the provision for doubtful debts...reported in the current quarter, I would like to explain the transaction with a major customer and the treatment of the same...we have collected and recognised Rs 3 .

AT&T's equipment writedown hurts annual profit view, shares decline

The writedown of Nokia equipment will reduce annual earnings per share by nearly 17 cents and comes as AT&T shifts to new lower-cost ORAN technology, or open radio access network

Budget wishlist: Telecom infra providers bat for availability of input tax

Telecom infrastructure providers are seeking availability of input tax credit on telecom towers, and have made a plea for an increase in tax depreciation rate and rationalisation of TDS provisions in their Budget wishlist. The players under the aegis of Digital Infrastructure Providers' Association (DIPA) said measures to facilitate ease of doing business will increase investment and contribute to the industry's long-term growth. Being a sunrise sector, telecom has been providing affordable-quality assured communication services, DIPA noted. The association counts Summit Digitel, American Towers, Indus Towers, Ascend Telecom, Cloud Extel, Pratap Technocrats, Crest Digitel, Signotox Towers, Applied Solar Technologies, iBUS Networks, and Suyog Telematics, among its members. DIPA in a release said the telecom infrastructure industry is seeking government support for the availability of input tax credit on telecom towers, increase in tax depreciation rate to 65 per cent from 15 per cen

Reliance Jio Q3 results: Net profit rises 12.3% to Rs 5,208 crore

Revenue from operations climbed 10.3%, snapping five straight quarters of slowing growth

Telecom operators body calls for re-evaluation of D2M tech policy

Broadcasters have backed the tech, which allows handsets to capture terrestrial TV signals without the internet

Tanla Platforms appoints former TRAI Chief RS Sharma to board of directors

Tanla Platforms on Monday announced the appointment of former TRAI Chairman RS Sharma to its board of directors. With this, the total number of directors on Tanla's board now stands at 7. "Tanla Platforms, India's leading CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) player, announced the appointment of former TRAI Chairman Dr RS Sharma to its board of directors, bringing the total number of directors on Tanla's Board to 7," according to a company release. Sharma was the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) between 2015 and 2020, and his tenure was marked by initiatives promoting net neutrality and consumer rights. Over the years, he spearheaded multiple government initiatives. As the chairman of the Empowered Group of COVID Vaccine Administration (EGVAC), Sharma steered the design and rollout of Co-Win - the digital backbone of the vaccination drive in India. As CEO of the National Health Authority, he was instrumental in implementing two health initiatives

USOF may be enlarged and used to boost telecom equipment manufacturing

Live since October 2022, the TTDF aims to fund R&D in rural-specific communications technology applications and develop the telecom ecosystem

Airtel Africa names Sunil Taldar CEO, Olusegun Ogunsanya to retire in July

Ogunsanya will retire on July 1, 2024, after a 12-year-long stint in the company. He had run the Nigeria Operations of the Telecommunications and mobile money company for nine years before Airtel