Page 4 - Telecom Services

What is the indigenous 5G testbed?

The govt has decided to offer free use of indigenous 5G testbed to recognised startups and MSMEs till January. It will help them validate their products. Let us find out more about it

4G, revenue growth help Bharti Airtel post 89% rise in net profit

The firm is currently carrying out beta trials of the 5G service in eight cities nationwide, has now seen eight consecutive profitable quarters

Airtel Q2 revenue may grow 21% YoY; Vodafone could lose 4 mn subscribers

Telecom Q2 preview: Bharti Airtel is expected to add around 2 million overall subscribers this quarter, taking the tally to 329 million

Parliamentary panel raise apprehensions over draft telecom Bill provisions

Members of the parliamentary panel on IT on Friday expressed apprehensions about some provisions of the new draft telecom bill and sought details from the Telecom Ministry about how the law will ensure data safety and privacy, sources said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology chaired by Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav met here for the first time after it was reconstituted and deliberated upon the draft telecom bill -- circulated for stakeholder comments last month. Top officials of the Telecom Ministry were present in the meeting and MPs across party lines raised questions about data safety and the privacy provisions in the proposed legislation and sought written reply from the ministry, sources said. Some MPs also asked about the future role of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as the proposed bill's provisions might reduce the regulator's powers, sources said. A few members suggested that the bill gives the administration overarching ..

Indus Towers accepts Vodafone Idea's payment plan for its dues

Indus Towers posted a net profit of Rs 872 crore in the second quarter of the fiscal year (FY2023) on a revenue of Rs 7,967 crore

Govt target of 10K new 5G towers per week is far off, say industry sources

Industry executives say the availability of 5G radios, environmental conditions and approval process is dictating the pace.

Indus Towers to raise Rs 2,000 crore via NCDs after weak Q2 result

The fund raise was approved by the company's board of directors following the second quarter FY 2023 result which saw 44 per cent year on year drop in net profit to Rs 872 crore.

Govt unveils new policy reforms for satellite communication services

The government on Wednesday unveiled new policy reforms for satellite communications services to ease procedures and streamline clearances to expedite the rollout of Satcom across the country, especially in remote areas. Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw exhorted the industry to increase tower deployments for a speedy 5G rollout. The current pace of tower deployment needs to increase from 2,500 towers a week to 10,000 towers per week, he said. The government has done its bit in ushering in reforms, and it is now up to the industry to show its commitment, the minister added.

OTT apps: COAI bats for 'same service, same rules' under draft telecom Bill

Industry body argues for 'same service, same rules', says current disparities give OTT players privileges but not responsibilities

'Telcos may see steady Q2 as SUC saving aid margins; 5G updates key focus'

Telecom companies are expected to witness "steady" revenue growth in Q2FY23 with slight sequential uptick in average revenue per user albeit softer net additions, while SUC (spectrum usage charges) savings are seen lifting margins, say analysts. Amid mega 5G network deployments by telcos, market analysts will be keenly tuning in to management commentaries on pace of roll-out for next-generation services, capex outlook and markers on tariff hikes. "We expect Indian telcos to report a steady quarter with stable ARPUs and slowing net adds. Margins would be higher q-o-q as we get 45-50 days benefits of lower SUC," BofA Securities said in its Q2 earnings preview for the sector. India's largest telecom operator Reliance Jio is expected to come out with its Q2 report card on October 21 (Friday), while Bharti Airtel is scheduled to announce its results on October 31. In the earnings' preview for the sector, ICICI Securities anticipated "steady revenue growth" and said margins may jump on .

BSNL has worst call drop rate in 14 of 18 surveyed cities, shows Trai data

Vodafone Idea had the highest data download rates, across both 3G and 4G networks in the most number of cities

Vodafone Idea board to mull issuing convertible debentures to a vendor

Development comes on the heels of Indus Towers warning the financially stressed telecom company of disconnection of services over non-payment of dues

How ready is India to sell indigenous 5G technology globally? Jury's out

Though Airtel and Reliance Jio are developing their own 5G technologies, they are still tying up with global gear makers to roll out the network in the country

Draft Telecom Bill enhances unease of doing biz amid regulatory overlaps

Regulatory overlaps between multiple ministries and overreach by DoT worry stakeholders

Jio topples BSNL to become largest fixed-line service provider in August

Private telecom operator Reliance Jio toppled state-run BSNL in August to become the largest fixed-line service provider in the country, according to a Trai report released on Tuesday. This is the first time since the beginning of telecom services in the country that a private operator has gained the numero uno position in the wireline segment. According to Trai's subscriber report for August, Jio's wireline subscriber base reached 73.52 lakh while that of BSNL was at 71.32 lakh. BSNL has been providing wireline services since the last 22 years, whereas Jio launched its wireline offering 3 years ago. The wireline subscribers in the country grew to 2.59 crore in August from 2.56 crore in July. The growth was dominated by the private sector, with Jio adding 2.62 lakh new customers, Bharti Airtel 1.19 lakh, Vodafone Idea (Vi) 4,202 and Tata Teleservices 3,769. State-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL lost 15,734 and 13,395 wireline customers, respectively, in August. The overall telec

Telecom Bill revisits licence raj, impinges on privacy safeguards

Many global agencies have raised concern that the draft Bill will adversely impact privacy by giving DoT almost unlimited powers to access and endlessly demand all manner of private information

The challenge of getting India's 350-400 mn 2G users to upgrade to 4G or 5G

With India rolling out 5G services, can telcos get the sizeable 350-400 million 2G customers to upgrade to 4G, or even better - but very improbably - straight to 5G?

Adani Data Networks gets unified licence for full fledge telecom services

Adani Data Network has been granted unified licence for access services, which enables it to provide all telecom services in the country, according to two official sources. Adani Group entered the telecom sector after buying spectrum in the recent auction. "Adani Data Networks has been granted UL (AS)," an official source said. Another official said that the permit was granted on Monday. An e-mail query to Adani Group did not elicit any reply. Adani Data Networks Ltd (ADNL), a unit of Adani Enterprises Ltd, acquired the right to use 400MHz of spectrum in the 26GHz millimetre wave band worth Rs 212 crore for 20 years in the recent 5G spectrum auction. The Adani Group had said that it plans to use the airwaves for its data centres as well as the super app it is building to support businesses from electricity distribution to airports, and gas retailing to ports. "The newly-acquired 5G spectrum is expected to help create a unified digital platform that will accelerate the pace and s

DoT summons mobile device makers, telecom companies to push 5G updates

The two sides play a blame game as users' search for 5G services continues

Indians not 'sticky', highly likely to switch mobile brands and carriers

As with the mobile brands, Indian users were among the most likely in the world to switch their current mobile network carriers, according to YouGov's 'Loyalty in Telco Report 2022'