The government is considering the option of handing over operations of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) to BSNL through an agreement, instead of pursuing a merger route, a source privy to the development said. A final call on this is likely to be taken in a month's time. The source said the option of handing over debt-laden MTNL's operations to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) through an agreement is being looked into.
Pankaj Kapur, who visibly enjoys playing the ringmaster to this family circus, is the glue that holds Thode Door Thode Paas together, observes Deepa Gahlot.
With a major network rollout on the cards, the government is not keen to change the pattern of tower monetisation for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), officials at the state-owned telecom-service provider said. The monetisation target in the telecom sector had to be revised owing to a change in BSNL's approach to mobile-phone tower monetisation, which had shifted from a sale-based model to a lease-based one.
The telecom department is not contemplating providing any relief to Vodafone Idea with regard to adjusted gross revenue, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Monday. "We have recently converted a lot of their debt into equity.
'My job is to provide people with a bouquet of options they can choose from.'
'Raising the entire amount in one go may not be prudent, given the market dynamics.'
The products and content would be available to MTNL's broadband customers through a co-branded portal called mtnl.aol.in, MTNL Executive Director J Gopal told reporters on Tuesday.
Investors were impressed by MTNL's plans for inorganic growth, propelling the stock higher in early trades on Tuesday.
State-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam on Tuesday joined the bandwagon of telecom companies offering lifetime validity on prepaid mobile cards
The central government has mandated all ministries, public departments and public sector units to use the telecom services of State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).
The state-owned telecom service provider Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd has teamed up with mobile content developing company Mauj to launch its general pocket radio service portal, 'Funstation'.
MTNL had earlier reduced the call charges from Trump to MTNL landline from Rs 1.50 per minute to 90p per minute from January 1 this year. However from January 26, a flat rate of 90p per minute is applicable to calls to any local number of Mumbai across all operators.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd is looking for joint ventures and tie-ups with content providers for its newly launched broadband services, Tri Band.
The telecom PSU plans to get back in black in two years; BSNL too has started discussions to lease out its towers.
The spat over the carriage of national long distance traffic between Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited may be heading towards a reconciliatory note.
State-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam, which had acquired the licence to offer telecom services in Mauritius in 2004, has started operations with international long distance services to begin with.
The Centre is considering relaxing some norms that led to the failure in attracting bids for assets of Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) as they look to restart the auction for their non-core assets. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) had listed six properties of BSNL and MTNL for sale through its new e-bidding portal, developed by state-run MSTC, but the auction failed to garner an adequate interest. DIPAM had asked government-appointed property consultants to identify issues in the bidding criteria for resolution.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd has bagged three licences for offering fixed, GSM-based mobile and international long distance services in Mauritius.
Having achieved a subscriber base of over 10 lakh in Mumbai, state owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd has approached the government for an additional frequency of two MHz to expand its cellular mobile services.
"We have tied up with a technology partner, who is carrying out the field trials. We would provide 21 channels," MTNL Executive Director J Gopal told PTI. The company launched on Thursday Express alert, a value-added service for its Dolphin and Trump mobile subscribers. Subscribing to Express alert would give MTNL customers updates on astrology, cricket scores, news and stock.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd has appointed HSBC as advisor for the process of synergising the public sector undertaking's operations with BSNL, as proposed by the department of telecom.
A decision on the merger will take some time as there are procedural problems with MTNL being a listed entity and BSNL non-listed.
The proposed merger between two state-run telecom giants -- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited -- might have hit a roadblock, but both the companies plan to synergise their operations across the country.
State-owned telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam -- telecom service provider in Mumbai and Delhi circles -- has slashed domestic long-distance (STD) rates by 66 per cent with immediate effect. The STD calls made from landline and Garuda (CDMA service) will now be levied at Rs 1.20 per minute, a reduction of 66.66 per cent, as against the existing rate of Rs 2 per minute.
The government on Wednesday said the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd board has approved the bid for acquiring stake in Rwanda Telecom.
Monetising real estate assets is part of the overall relief package that would be used to retire debts, upgrade networks, and offer VRS aimed at reducing the telcos' employee strength by half.
The PSU is planning to convert Rs 3,000 crore (Rs 30-billion) loan into long term debt.
The scheme will be offered to 15,000 employees, or one-third of the workforce, in the current financial year.
Swedish telecom firm Telia has shortlisted two Indian telcos to buyout its controlling stake in the Sri Lankan subsidiary, Suntel, officials said on Friday.
The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd is offering a virtual calling card of Rs 500 with every new fixed-line connection from Wednesday, and has announced concessions for residential housing societies.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd has decided to offer alternate tariff packages to its subscribers of basic telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai, a move that may bring much-needed relief to the landline users.
These connected-by-MTNL products would be available through Dell's distribution channels in Mumbai and Delhi very soon.
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