The 1986-founded company is in the process of appointing a consultant for formulating the future plan of action for its CDMA business.
To speed up the vacation of additional 2G and 3G telecom spectrum, the government will likely make a Rs 5,000-crore (Rs 50 billion) provision in the Budget for an alternative network for defence services. The spectrum released in lieu of that would increase the availability for civilian use.
We are not a fly-by-night operator, says Sandip Das.
DoT has stated in an internal note that the 3G roaming agreements between these three companies are tantamount to their becoming mobile virtual network operators, something not allowed under the current policy.
Proposes conversion of Rs 1 lakh crore cumulative losses into bonds or loans.
According to a senior company official, BSNL is in the process of appointing recovery agents on a commission basis to bring back the money.
The Department of Telecommunications is planning to give more powers to the telecom regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, in the new telecom policy, including the power to impose financial penalties on the erring telecom service providers.
The New Telecom policy 2011 and the Spectrum Act are expected to address these concerns.
The exercise is ostensibly for security reasons and to prevent misuse of the freedom of speech in cyberspace.
The new telecom policy-2011 is also expected to come out with new norms for mergers and acquisitions, enhancing rural coverage, and spectrum allocation, among other things.
This means the regulator can bring rates under regulation once again. Currently, the rates are determined by market forces.
In talks with Nigeria, Kenya & Niger for development of transmission system.
The issue of which technology to use in wireless broadband services, TD-LTE or WiMax, is becoming keener.
This will enable security agencies to tap any call, real-time chat and data without help from the operators.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed to simplify the country's telecom landscape. It has suggested one tariff for each licence holder across the country, all-India mobile number portability and doing away with roaming charges.
In what could give a big relief to new mobile players, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is unlikely to cancel 53 licences - as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) - for non-fulfilment of rollout obligations.
DoT has set up a committee to frame the proposed Act, which will have seven members with retired judge Justice Shivraj Patil as its chairman.
This is part of the government's plan to raise Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion) from disinvestment in the current financial year.
The broad idea was endorsed by the DoT's internal panel in its report on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's recommendations last year on spectrum management and other licensing issues.