Congestion level is rising with surging mobile subscriber base resulting in loss of calls and poor quality of service, but the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India says it cannot issue show cause over this lapse as the matter is subjudice.
In a move to woo foreign visitors to its network, the state-owned telecom behemoth Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has decided to reduce the charges on in-roaming -- international mobile phone users roaming in India -- by 35-40 per cent.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has signed three agreements with Sri Lanka Telecom, including one for direct connectivity in international voice traffic
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd chairman Kuldeep Goyal has been trying to get a foothold in Africa since February this year when the government allowed the state-owned giant to pursue business opportunities in that continent. The five-month old search continues; Goyal says BSNL is looking at acquiring stakes or licences in African markets as and when they are put up for sale.
Department of telecommunications has set up a committee to look into the issue of escalating cost for the project.
In one of the biggest broadband projects in the country, the state-owned telecom behemoth Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd is planning to provide broadband connections to 110,000 schools in the country
Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has clubbed the two cases filed by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited challenging Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's decision to reduce the levy collected from private operators.
State-run BSNL on Saturday approached telecom tribunal TDSAT against sector regulator TRAI's decision to cut a levy paid by private operators to the public sector company for its rural operations.
BSNL would shortly sign memoranda of understanding with Korea Telecom and Microsoft for rolling out broadband services under the National Internet Backbone phase two project in the country, its chairman and managing director V P Sinha said.
Sources said BSNL is now looking at putting in place tougher terms and conditions for the new tender as the original tender was under controversy, with BSNL facing allegations of non-transparency in the bidding process to select its WiMax franchisee partners. More than 20 companies made a bid earlier this year to act as a WiMax partner to BSNL in a number of circles across India.
All the integrated private telecom operators like Bharti, Reliance are targeting high as well as mass market broadband subscribers to shore up their non-telephony revenues. BSNL operates all over the country, except in Delhi and Mumbai.
Three telecom companies - Spanco Telesystems and Solutions, TVS Interconnect Systems (a TVS group firm) and Acme Tele Power - have emerged as the front-runners for state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's (BSNL) Rs 30,000-crore infrastructure contract.
Soma Networks, a US-based provider of mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) products and services, plans to launch compact WiMAX-enabled devices in India within six months.
BSNL on Wednesday denied allegations that it was blocking calls of private telecom operators like Reliance and Tatas, even as Trai asked all operators to maintain "status-quo" till the interconnection norms are announced.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited would soon review tariff structure for basic and mobile phone services, and introduce an "account-less-Internet" service in Rajasthan soon, its chairman and managing director Prithipal Singh announced on Monday.
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has unearthed a racket in which many subscribers are reported to have sought mobile phone connections from the BSNL after producing fake ration cards.
A bench comprising acting Chief Justice M K Sharma and Justice Hima Kohli granted a week's time to Motorola to file its reply on the response filed by BSNL.
The Delhi high court restrained BSNL on Thursday from awarding contracts for its Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) GSM network expansion project till November 30.
US telecom major Motorola's worldwide chief executive officer Ed Zander is visiting India next week and is expected to meet IT and Communication Minister Dayanidhi Maran.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has decided not to charge any rent from telephone subscribers for the period of disconnection of their telephones.
BSNL has slashed rates of all such calls from its landline network to the level of local call rates of Rs 0.80-1.20, depending upon the rate plan, with a pulse of three minutes.
Private cellular and fixed line operators on Monday demanded direct inter-connectivity with Bharat Sanchar Nigam's Ltd cellular services.
The bids were slated to be opened on December 4. WiMAX or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access provides for wireless transmission of data and up to 75 Mb/sec speed. The 802.16d -- also frequently referred to as 'fixed WiMAX' has no support for mobility.
Telecom monolith Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is the top profit-making public sector unit, while steel giant Steel Authority of India Limited had the dubious distinction of topping the list of loss making state-owned enterprises.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd will foot the entire bill of a Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10-billion) project to release 45 Mhz of spectrum from defence to civilian use, after providing the armed forces alternative equipment for their communication needs.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd will provide six crore new mobile telephone connections across the country within the next four years, its director (planning and new services) R L Dube said on Saturday.
Motorola on Tuesday said it is in talks with Reliance Infocomm to provide set top boxes for the company's Internet Protocol Television rollout in the country.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has launched a suite of Marathi, Hindi and English-based services on the voice platform for its Maharashtra CellOne and landline subscribers.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd plans to switch over to the call-detail-record billing system for its 3.5 crore (35 million)landline subscribers in the next two to three months. "Our landline billing system as of now works on the conventional technology, and we are unable to give a customised offer to subscribers. But very soon all that will be a thing of the past," BSNL Deputy Director General, (Enterprise Business), Sunil Kumar told PTI. Telephone exchanges spread over 20 major ci