Subhayan Chakraborty And Dhruvaksh Saha

Stories by Subhayan Chakraborty And Dhruvaksh Saha

Telcos seek easing of 'stringent quality of service' norms

Telcos seek easing of 'stringent quality of service' norms

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2025

Continuing to push back against the stringent quality of service (QoS) norms brought in by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), telcos have informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that collection and submission of monthly and site-to-cell-level data should be eased, officials and industry sources said. In place since October last year, the QoS norms call for data for network availability, call drop, voice packet drop rate in uplink and downlink, among other parameters, to be collected at the cell level.

Vande Bharat All Set For The Mountains

Vande Bharat All Set For The Mountains

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2025

The new Vande Bharat Express train is specially designed to operate seamlessly in Jammu & Kashmir's challenging winter conditions for the upcoming Katra-Srinagar rail route.

The India Story: 90% Work In Progress

The India Story: 90% Work In Progress

Rediff.com   2 Jan 2025

From highways connecting once-remote regions to aviation networks carrying millions, India's infrastructure story is one of transformation.

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio loses 3.76 million users in October 2024

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio loses 3.76 million users in October 2024

Rediff.com   24 Dec 2024

Losing subscribers for the fourth straight month, Reliance Jio witnessed 3.76 million users leave the telecom operator in October, data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) showed on Monday. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel reversed three months of decline, and added 1.92 million users, indicating it has overcome the impact of the broad-based tariff hikes imposed by private sector telcos in July.

Rosneft inks record oil supply deal with RIL

Rosneft inks record oil supply deal with RIL

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2024

Russia's state-owned oil firm Rosneft has agreed to supply up to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil to Indian upstream oil and gas major Reliance Industries (RIL) in the largest-ever energy deal between the two countries, Reuters reported on Thursday. The 10-year agreement amounts to 0.5 per cent of global oil supply and is valued at roughly $13 billion per year at current prices, it said.

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio lost 7.96 mn users in Sep

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio lost 7.96 mn users in Sep

Rediff.com   22 Nov 2024

Reliance Jio's major subscriber losses continued for the third straight month with 7.96 million users leaving the telecom operator in September, even as the state-owned BSNL stood out as the lone gainer, data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) showed on Thursday. Market leader Jio's subscriber loss has continued since July when the three private telecom operators - Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) - brought in a broad-based hike in tariffs.

'Trump Is More Unpredictable'

'Trump Is More Unpredictable'

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2024

'The policies announced by his administration are implemented faster.'

Terror Attacks No Cause Of Alarm For J&K Projects

Terror Attacks No Cause Of Alarm For J&K Projects

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2024

'If you are in a position to give employment to local people, you will find no terror attacks in your area.'

Brics likely to focus on closer energy partnerships among members

Brics likely to focus on closer energy partnerships among members

Rediff.com   22 Oct 2024

The 16th Brics Summit beginning Tuesday in Kazan, Russia, is expected to see more focus on creating a sharper energy policy for Brics that ensures closer partnership among members in both energy security and energy transition, official sources said. The same is expected to be a part of the Kazan declaration, currently being negotiated, they added.

AI to light the path at India Mobile Congress

AI to light the path at India Mobile Congress

Rediff.com   15 Oct 2024

The government is expected to outline a policy framework for artificial intelligence (AI) at the annual India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024, beginning Tuesday, officials said. Apart from industry participation, the four-day event will feature booths from over 15 ministries showcasing how AI is being integrated into their departments.

How Government Is Making Use Of AI

How Government Is Making Use Of AI

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2024

The National Informatics Centre uses AI to automate document analysis and detect fraud in government departments.

Just 3,000 nods: Trai's whitelisting deadline may be pushed by 30 days

Just 3,000 nods: Trai's whitelisting deadline may be pushed by 30 days

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2024

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) may extend the deadline to whitelist URLs (Uniform Resource Locators), APKs (Android Package Kit), or OTT (Over The Top) links - through which it intends to curb their misuse -is likely to be extended by 30 days as only over 3,000 registered senders (businesses) have complied, officials indicated. According to Trai officials, over 3,000 registered senders have whitelisted more than 70,000 links, but many more (thousands of others) are yet to comply with the directive as the mandatory norms are set to come into effect from October 1.

In export push, govt steps in to raise container capacity

In export push, govt steps in to raise container capacity

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2024

Concerned over the fallout of the Red Sea crisis and severe shortage of containers against the backdrop of a steep decline in merchandise exports in August, the Union government is pulling out all the stops to find a solution. To begin with, the government has devised a strategy aimed at boosting container supply and supporting exporters.

India Working on 30,000 cr Maritime Development Fund

India Working on 30,000 cr Maritime Development Fund

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2024

The fund will promote domestic shipbuilding of all types and sizes to reduce India's dependence on foreign ships.

BSNL walks out as surprise winner of July tariff battle

BSNL walks out as surprise winner of July tariff battle

Rediff.com   23 Sep 2024

After continuously bleeding subscribers for nearly two years, state-owned telecom services provider BSNL added 2.9 million users in July when its private-sector rivals raised tariffs by nearly 20 per cent. With BSNL keeping tariffs unchanged, many subscribers using entry-level plans shifted from Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), said analysts.

New Toll Data Collection Tool A Privacy Risk?

New Toll Data Collection Tool A Privacy Risk?

Rediff.com   17 Sep 2024

The implementation of this toll collection system, which will eventually eradicate toll booths, necessitates the fitting of an on-board unit (OBU) in every vehicle that can track a vehicle's location in real time.

I am not against incentives on EVs, but its not my call: Nitin Gadkari

I am not against incentives on EVs, but its not my call: Nitin Gadkari

Rediff.com   10 Sep 2024

Days after saying that there is no need for subsidies to achieve greater penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday clarified that the view is his own, but any official call on EV subsidies is not one that he can take.

Jio's network cost per tower less than Airtel's but gap shrinking: Analysts

Jio's network cost per tower less than Airtel's but gap shrinking: Analysts

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2024

The network cost per tower of Reliance Jio is lower than its rival Bharti Airtel even as the gap between them is narrowing due to the latter cutting costs at a faster pace, analysts said. While the energy cost per tower for both telcos is reducing, Airtel has managed to reduce costs at a faster pace, brokerage firm IIFL Securities said in a research note. "Jio used to enjoy 35 per cent lower network cost per tower, including the right of use (RoU) depreciation and lease finance cost, versus Bharti four years back. This gap has now (FY24) narrowed to 7 per cent," it said.

Rogue robocallers behind Trai's bid to dial up rules against spam

Rogue robocallers behind Trai's bid to dial up rules against spam

Rediff.com   5 Sep 2024

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai's) latest push to review its existing spam regulations and expand the definition of "commercial communications" is driven by an urgent need to tighten controls on autodialers or robocallers, and bulk messaging, according to official sources. This move, they said, comes in response to a surge in complaints against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs), which soared to 750,000 in just the first half of 2024, underscoring the necessity for a comprehensive overhaul of the government's anti-spam measures. Last week, Trai released a consultation paper aimed at revisiting the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018), the government's legal framework against spam.

Govt defends Great Nicobar project amid criticism, cites national interest

Govt defends Great Nicobar project amid criticism, cites national interest

Rediff.com   26 Aug 2024

The central government's Great Nicobar development project, proposed around an unprecedented transhipment port, will be executed to keep environmental impact minimal, and is essential as it is of national importance, the government has said amid calls to abort the controversial project due to ecological concerns, the Centre said in an official statement.