Fresh trouble seems to be brewing between the defence ministry and the Department of Telecommunications over spectrum and this could put a question mark on the launch of third generation telephony services in the country by March next year.
Eleven telcos, whose licences will expire between 2014 and 2021, will have to pay this 13-figure sum if the government accepts the telecom regulator's proposal of pricing second generation radio airwaves on the basis of prices determined at the just-concluded auction of third generation spectrum.
The money constitutes nearly 26 per cent of the total domestic borrowing of the Indian corporate sector in 2008-09.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman J S Sarma said his recommendation to tweak the existing norms for mergers and acquisitions aims to prevent the union of two big companies or a big and a medium-sized operator, but it provides enough scope for mergers between others.
Indian telecom operators came out in open support of Chinese equipment makers, saying the government cannot deprive Indian consumers of the cutting-edge technology which these companies offer by denying security clearance to them.
Operators Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Essar, Aircel, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd and Idea Cellular might have to fork out over Rs 11,200 crore for having spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz, if the government accepts the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommendations.
Operators with more than 6.2 MHz of spectrum in GSM will have to cough up more if the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has its way. Trai is recommending sweeping changes in the country's telecom landscape by replacing the current subscriber-based allocation of 2G spectrum.
Maruti Suzuki has asked its 200-odd vendors to cut their component costs by three per cent across the board in this financial year.
FIPB may be asked to vet downstream projects.
Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said the company has, in partnership with Renault-Nissan, developed India's most fuel efficient and least-polluting car engine.
The Centre extended the deadline for implementing cleaner emission norms for two-wheelers across the country, a move that has come as a big relief for auto manufacturers, especially the country's largest two-wheeler maker, Hero Honda.
Coca-Cola's sports-loving CEO on the strategy that has helped him steer the soft drinks giant out of various crises.
The world's third largest tobacco company by sales volume, Japan Tobacco Inc, has invested $65 million (Rs 293 crore) in its Indian unit without increasing its shareholding, just days ahead of a government decision to ban foreign direct investment in cigarette manufacturing.
The ministry has said a more effective monitoring mechanism could be set up jointly with the ministries of commerce and urban development to ensure FDI does not 'render policy objectives in a sensitive sector of the economy with limited practical significance'
Leading Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corporation, have launched an aggressive 'Indianisation' drive. The two companies are replacing Chinese nationals with Indians on their board of directors. The move is seen as an attempt by the companies to change the public perception in India, where Chinese firms are often viewed with suspicion. This would also make it easy for the firms to do business in India.
Key shareholders of low-cost airline SpiceJet have rejected an offer by the Reliance ADA Group to pick up a 51 per cent stake in the airline for Rs 40-45 per share. The offer was made last week.
The country's largest car producer -- Maruti Suzuki -- is caught in a cleft. There is growing demand for its cars, but it does not have sufficient production capacity to feed this demand. To top that, this capacity constraint is not likely to be lifted before 2012.
The finance ministry has suggested easing of the rules for calculating foreign investment in a company. The proposed rules, which take out sundry entries of indirect investment, will make life easier for companies, which have high foreign institutional investment and face the risk of breaching sector-specific caps.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances