Page 4 - Telecom Sector In India

Porting requests at 8-month low; Voda biggest loser among major providers

In Feb 2024, subscribers made nearly 12 mn portability requests, lowest since June 2023

DoT secy launches experimental module for 5G labs, grants 1,500 permits

Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal on Friday virtually launched an experimental licence module for 100 5G Labs during a workshop at IIT Madras, an official statement said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has granted around 1,500 experimental licences for 5G labs since the launch of the programme for carrying out trials and testing use cases for 5G services, the statement said. "In a move to smoothen the processes for 100 5G Labs across academic institutions in India, Secretary (Telecom), Dr Neeraj Mittal, virtually launched the experimental licence module for 100 5G Labs during a 5G workshop at IIT Madras. "This initiative aims to simplify the experimental licence requirements for these institutions, facilitating smoother operations and fostering innovation in the 5G domain," the statement said. The licences are being issued on 'self-declaration mode' from the Saralsanchar portal of DoT through National Single Window System (NSWS), the statement said. "To date, about 1,500 licences h

Cases of equipment thefts at all-time high; COAI seeks DoT's intervention

Industry body COAI on Friday sought the government's intervention on the issue of rising cases of telecom equipment theft and said telcos are incurring huge losses and expenses in replenishing equipment at affected sites, and even customers are suffering. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which counts operators like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea as its members, wrote to telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal, flagging the issue. The association has urged the Department of Telecom (DoT) to write to all State Chief Secretaries to prioritise such complaints and ensure strict action on the same. COAI also urged the DoT to issue orders for the immediate blocking of several foreign websites (including eBay, Alibaba, Telefly, Seeker816, Dorfatrade) that are "selling active equipment" suspected to have been stolen from networks of member telcos. "It is...critical that these websites are blocked immediately," COAI said. COAI requested the DoT to urgently interven

Vodafone Idea plans to raise up to Rs 45,000 crore through equity, debt

Funds to be spent on 4G & 5G networks, capacity expansion

Vodafone Idea board to meet on Feb 27 to consider fundraising proposals

Billionaire industrialist and Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Thursday underlined the group's firm commitment to the cash-strapped telco Vodafone Idea, and asserted that efforts are on to rope in external investors. On how soon such investors could be onboarded, Birla told PTI, "We are making good progress but can't put in a timeline." "We remain very committed to Vodafone Idea and like we have said in public domain, efforts are on to get outside investors," he said, while speaking at a conference here to mark the launch of the group's decorative business.

Bharti Airtel Q3 results: Consolidated net profit rises 54% to Rs 2,442 cr

ARPU rises to Rs 208 from Rs 203 in Q2

Tech corpus positive, hope for full telcos' wishlist consideration: COAI

The long-term, interest-free or low interest rate loans and focus on deep tech will further encourage the private sector to scale up research and innovation, according to COAI

Before 5G launch, we will have clarity on how to monetise it: Voda Idea CEO

Launching 5G in October 2022, Vi's two main competitors-Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel-have already launched 5G services in 7,764 and more than 5,000 cities, respectively

Govt warns users against dialling '*401#' followed by unknown mobile number

The Department of Telecom on Thursday issued an advisory to users warning against malicious calls that ask them to dial '*401#' followed by an unknown mobile number. In case a user dials '*401#' followed by an unknown number, then it leads to activation of unconditional call forwarding received on the mobile of the user to the unknown mobile number. "The Department has advised citizens to beware of receiving malicious incoming calls asking them to dial *401# followed by some unknown mobile number. "This activates unconditional call forwarding received on the mobile of citizens to the unknown mobile number. This allows fraudsters to receive all incoming calls and can be used for fraud," the statement said. Explaining the modus operandi of the scam, the DoT said a fraudster will call a telecom subscriber and pretend to be a customer service representative or technical support staff from their telecom service provider. The fraudster then states that either there is a problem with the

Canada-based Brookfield Asset Management to buy ATC India in $2 bn deal

Brookfield to become largest manager asset in India, beating Indus Towers

Telecom Bill to fast track allocation of spectrum in various sectors

19 sectors listed in Bill for allocation route, national frequency allocation plan to be revamped

Parliament winter session: Rajya Sabha passes Telecommunications Bill 2023

Parliament on Thursday passed a bill that seeks to allow the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security, and provide a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum. The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, was approved by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after a short debate. The Bill seeks to allow the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security, and provide a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum. It also allows the Centre to take possession of a telecom network in case of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety. Besides, it provides for stopping transmission and intercepting messages in case of public emergency, in the interest of the public, to prevent incitement for committing offence. According to the bill, the press messages of correspondents accredited to the Centre or state .

India's internet growth continues to decline due to fall in smartphone sale

For millions of Indians, a smartphone is the first port of entry into the internet

Trai directs Jio, Airtel to clarify terms on unlimited 5G data offerings

Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have both clarified that unlimited does not equate to infinity as data usage is restricted by speed and network

Govt considers revising PLI scheme for telecom to spur 5G adoption

Rs 1,500 crore sits unutilised as only 20 of the 42 companies met their targets at the end of the financial year in March 2023

Telecom operators projected to lose Rs 250 cr in SMS revenue to OTTs

OTT business messaging traffic in India is predicted to reach 24.2 billion messages in 2028

Tariffs need to go up, industry should become viable: Airtel CEO Vittal

Telecom tariffs in India are low and need to go up, Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal said on Wednesday, asserting that the industry needs to become viable. The Airtel top honcho described 5G as a "long haul" where use cases are still evolving globally, and made it clear that the company is not in any race to beat its drum on having the largest, fastest rollout, but instead is sharply focused on delivering good experience for its 5G customers. He said Airtel does not believe in higher 5G tariff, but will continue to strive for overall hike in tariffs, while keeping the service most affordable and high quality. "We also understand that the needs of different segments of customers and really don't believe in one-size-fits-all. "For the telecom industry to continue to invest and deliver the digital vision of India, the industry needs to be viable and cross subsidisation, therefore or using the power of the balance sheet is not a sustainable proposition at the end," Vittal said at the Q2

India Mobile Congress 2023: India will lead the world in 6G, says PM Modi

After the fastest roll-out of the 5G technology in India, the government is now working on becoming a leader in 6G, the PM said

India Mobile Congress: The telco contest, Chandrayaan effect, and more

The first two bays occupied by Jio and Airtel were almost equal in size, but with varying tone and tenor

Vodafone Idea Q2 results: Consolidated net loss widens to Rs 8,738 crore

Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Thursday said its consolidated net loss widened to Rs 8,737.9 crore in the second quarter ended September 30. The company had posted a net loss of Rs 7,595.5 crore a year ago. Its consolidated revenue from operations was almost flat at Rs 10,716.3 crore during the reported quarter against Rs 10,655.5 crore in the September 2022 quarter.