Even before the real 3G mobile services takes off, competition at the trial level is hotting up with Reliance Communications applying for the radio waves for testing of interface for both GSM and CDMA based services.
Hyperactive Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal -- busy trying to 'rescue' the UPA government in the 2G scam ever since he took over after Andimuthu Raja resigned in November -- finds himself caught up in another spectrum scam of the Indian Space Research Organisation's gift of 70Mhz at throwaway prices to its former officer in 2005 that is now turning out to be a Rs 2-lakh crore (Rs 2 trillion) scandal.
In just four days of auction, the bid for the pan-Indian broadband wireless access spectrum has gone up by three times to Rs 5,245 crore (Rs 52.45 billion) against the base price of Rs 1,750 crore (Rs 17.50 billion).
Two brothers have begun collaborating in certain businesses.
Unitech denies wrongdoing, calls taped voice fabricated.
If they continue, they will need to pay up.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGOs 'Common Cause' and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, that the plea needed to be listed for hearing at the earliest.
Reliance Jio submitted the highest pre-auction deposit.
CDMA-based telecom operators have got a shot in the arm with a parliamentary committee recommending that the government allot the crucial 1,900 Mhz spectrum to players using this technology for expansion of services.
The triennial exercise will take place for two hours and fifteen minutes during the day, dusk and night, he said.
On all other issues, including the future of licences given to incumbents before 2008 on the controversial first-come-first-serve basis and dual technology licences, the status quo will be maintained, meaning there is no question of any cancellation, say experts and telecom companies.
The Budget estimate of 2009-10 includes a sum of Rs 35,000 crore as expected revenue from auction of 3G spectrum, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Budget papers.
'In life insurance, it is about creating distribution capacity and solutions for customers. We are constantly working on that.'
The apex court on February 2 last year cancelled 122 licences for the 2G spectrum and had directed the DoT to hold fresh auction for them within four months which has been extended by interim orders from time to time.
As Election 2024 hurtles towards result day in a medley of mangalsutra, mujra, mutton, machli and other barbs, these may sound like character names from Hindi comics of yore. Instead, these are the mocking, sometimes vicious monikers given by political rivals to each other.
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday approached the Delhi high court seeking its directions to the prime minister to take a decision on granting sanction to prosecute Telecom Minister A Raja for his alleged involvement in 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The Department of Telecommunications has raised demand of around Rs 877.6 crore from Vodafone as spectrum charges for the period between 2008-09 and 2011-12, sources said.
Virtually rejecting the proposal of a major telecom player for levying a hefty entry fee of Rs 1500 crore (Rs 15 billion) for spectrum to start third generation mobile services
A presentation by the CBI to a Joint Parliamentary Committee last week said the decision led to a loss of Rs 508 crore to the exchequer.
Collectively, these companies spent Rs 628 crore (Rs 6.28 billion) on political contributions in the past five years, according to their annual reports.
The 700-Mhz spectrum band ranges from 698 Mhz to 806 Mhz and has been identified by the International Telecommunication Union for telecom services.
Central Bureau of Investigation Director AP Singh will appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the 2G scam on Tuesday. This follows the appearance of Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai before the committee last week.
Led by Ola Electric, which registered an industry record of 53,186 vehicles in March, electric two-wheeler (e2W) penetration hit a record at 8.91 per cent - the highest ever for a month (based on Vahan data).
There are different prices for spectrum up to contracted limit of 6.2 Mhz and for additional airwaves.
Telecom companies put in bids worth a total of about Rs 45,000 crore (Rs 450 billion) on the second day of the auction on Tuesday, with premium 900 Mhz band in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata witnessing continuing demand.
The former Chief of Army Staff said India faces the most complex threats and challenges spanning a full spectrum of possible conflict -- from nuclear to sub-conventional -- but asserted that the armed forces are ready to deal with them.
Department of Telecom may favour TRAI's proposal of reduction in spectrum charges from 6 per cent to 4 per cent of the adjusted gross revenue as it involves no financial hit on the government.
Adani Data Networks said it plans to create a private 5G network for its operations. However, it acquired the spectrum in the last 5G auction alongside three telecom companies. Subsequently, it was granted a unified licence for access services, which enables it to provide telecom services in the country.
'Which is growing fast and where we are very strongly positioned.'
The auction of 2G spectrum might be delayed, as the government may file a petition in the Supreme Court for an extension of the timeline. According to current SC directive, the auction has to be conducted by August 31 this year. However, due to procedural delays, the department of telecommunications is looking at extending the timeline.
National flags should not be "messed with", British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday, after Nike's decision to use an altered design of the St George's Cross on England's soccer shirts angered some fans.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to break his silence and personally clear the air on the allocation of the scarce S-band spectrum, dubbing it a "mega scam."
Chandrasekhar's letter seeks to convey the impression that the Tata Group kept quiet when it stood to benefit from violations of norms.
Some have been cherry-picked to assert the BJP's supremacy over its allies or, significantly, its leaders who charted an independent course in the recent past.
All the top telecom firms, including Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Aircel, RCom and Tatas would be participating in the e-auction process, the first of its kind in the world, to acquire 3G spectrum for which the auction begins on April 9.
