With 3G mobile services, which provide high-speed downloads of data, movies and videos, around six month away, mobile phone makers are getting ready to offer handsets for as little as Rs 3,500, against the currently available minimum price of over Rs 8,000.
However, portability services, which were earlier expected to be launched by the end of the year in the four metros -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai -- as well as Tamil Nadu, have now been delayed till February or March 2009 (the DoT has said that it will start operations six months after the licence is granted).
Villagers and the people of the Varkari sect are on one side and state government and Dow Chemicals on the other. The bone of contention is the future of Dow Chemicals' $100-million R&D project, for which 100 acres of land was allotted in the village near the Sudha -- held sacred by the followers of a Bhakti cult called Varkaris.
DoT identifies more spectrum, to expand auctions from earlier estimate of five in each service area.
This follows the show-cause notice that was issued to the company last month by the ministry of informaton and broadcasting and the response given by the company. According to highly placed sources, the letter of suspension of Bharti's DTH licence has been moved within the I&B ministry because it is not satisfied with the response sent by Bharti Telemedia.
The department of telecommunications has raised questions about the merger between Idea Cellular and Spice Telecom violating key clauses on intra-circle merger and mobile licence conditions.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has mooted a proposal under which operators will pay a one-time fee for all spectrum allotments beyond 6.2 MHz.
The Department of Telecommunications is examining a proposal to auction around nine licences for 3G -- or third generation -- services among incumbents and new players in place of an earlier proposal to allow five players in this space.
The MTN-Reliance Communications merger, if it gets through, will create a telecom behemoth of 115 million subscribers in 25 countries.
Automobile giant General Motors will invest Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 10-12 billion) to set up a power train (engine and gear box) manufacturing facility at its Talegaon Plant near Pune.
Domestic airlines will save around Rs 2,500 crore annually if they import aviation turbine fuel directly rather than buy it from state-owned oil marketing companies. This would help them shave off around 14 per cent of their burgeoning fuel bill and cut the industry's projected loss of Rs 8,000 crore for the current financial year by a little less than a third.
A no-holds-barred boardroom battle has broken out between Mahendra Nahata and the Dhoots of Videocon, 36:64 partners in Datacom Solutions, a company which wants to launch mobile telephone services all over the country in a month-and-a-half.
Vehicles going from Mumbai towards Goa and Konkan were diverted from Panvel via Khopoli and Pali as the stretch near Pen at Vashi naka was blocked by farmers protesting against the Maharashtra government's decision to approve the rehabilitation and resettlement package announced by Mumbai SEZ Pvt Ltd, a Reliance Industries company.
A high-profile team from MTN is also expected to meet Reliance Industries Ltd next week to take stock of the situation. RCom had informed the bourses on May 26 that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with MTN for 45 days soon after the South African giant aborted its talks with the Sunil Mittal-controlled Bharti group. The deadline will end on July 8.
London-based Dar Consultants has said its bid and the one by preferred bidder Anil Dhirubhani Ambani Group's RELINFRA-Hyundai consortium are both 'responsive' or worth considering. Dar Consultants' recommendation puts the responsibility of re-considering the preferred bidder between the warring brothers squarely back with the political executive. The state cabinet's committee on infrastructure will meet Wednesday to decide the fate of the project.
The Maharashtra government will take a final decision on the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)-led consortium's bid for the Rs 6,000 crore (Rs 60 billion), six-lane sea link between Sewri and Nhava Sheva, better known as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), within two weeks, said Public Works Minister Anil Deshmukh.
Sure, while Mumbai's tinsel town has made some attempts to break in (Aamir Khan's Lagaan made it to the 2002 Oscar nomination for foreign films), few Indians have managed to enter this exclusive club. Not anymore. The efforts of the threesome have finally paid off and the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) is set to put its imprint on Hollywood.
In what may be a sign of the changing political environment ahead of general elections, the Centre has turned down the Maharashtra government's proposal to provide labour law flexibility in special economic zones.
Move to ensure deals do not hit govt licence fees, revenue share.
Leading Indian public sector banks State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Syndicate Bank are close to committing a part of the $3 billion bridge loan that Tata Motors has to raise to finance the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford.
