Telecom companies have put in bids worth Rs 58,332 crore (Rs 583.32 billion) in spectrum auction at the end of 49 rounds on the 7th day of bidding on Monday.
Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL increase subscriber share while Idea manages to retain
Experts say going ahead data price will fall further due to competition
RIL has signed an infrastructure sharing agreement with Reliance Communications (RCom, of the Dhirubhai Ambani group) to launch its services.
In big bang reforms, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a relief package for the telecom sector that includes a four-year moratorium on payment of statutory dues by telecom companies as well as allowing 100 per cent foreign investment through the automatic route. Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Cabinet, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said nine structural reforms for the telecom sector were approved. The definition of AGR, which had been a major reason for the stress in the sector, has been rationalised by excluding non-telecom revenue of telecom companies.
Consumers can expect a 5G launch in the country soon. Telecom companies (telcos) say if auctions take place on time - the target is July - they would be able to offer some services in a few cities by the end of this year and a full roll-out from 2023. But the question is: will 5G turn the tables for telcos financially? Will average revenue per user (ARPU) improve? Will mobile consumers upgrade to 5G quickly and pay more? Will the expanded functions that 5G enables drum up sufficient revenues? In simple terms, will telcos make more money?
Mukesh's television unit has been aggressively wrapping up deals with hundreds of small players in a street-by-street effort to conquer that final hurdle in its cable TV drive
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The existing shareholders will get one RPL share for each RCom share (of Rs 130 market price) held.
Uninor added 8.53 lakh subscribers to take its base to 4.01 crore during the reported period.
TRAI may recommend the DoT to levy one-time non-refundable fee of Rs 50,000 per operator for each service area in which they opt for spectrum sharing.
The entry of the deep-pocketed conglomerate is expected to heighten competition.
Funds will be raised via non-cumulative preference shares issued to Tata Sons on rights basis
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd is preparing to apply for permission to set up a nation-wide broadband telecom network for internal (non-commercial) use.
The move is being considered after growing clamour from competing 4G operators for a level playing field in relation to Qualcomm.
Pricing is a vital part of strategy to take high speed broadband to 265 million homes
Telecom subscriber base crossed the 95-crore mark in August, after a gap of more than two years, on the back of higher mobile users whose number touched 92.43 crore.
The third round of spectrum auction continued to witness aggressive bidding even after completion of seventeen rounds on Wednesday with demands for both bands of airwaves on offer continuing to pour in.
Discussing the prospect of more reform earlier this month, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced a delay in the 5G spectrum auction. India's telecom sector regulation has to be benchmarked with the global best, he said. It's another matter that many countries have either introduced or are about to roll out 5G services that will enable cutting-edge tech in diverse areas. For India, too, it will mean a lot for healthcare, robotics and unleashing a new chapter in Digital India perhaps.
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RCom slashed 3G prices for all kind of connections -- pre-paid, post-paid, new and old -- across 13 circles where its third-generation services are available.
The amount generated so far is about 86 per cent of what the 3G auction fetched in 2010.
The announcement quells fears among some telcos that Chinese players might be banned from participating in 5G trials and roll outs.
Public and private sector GSM operators in the country have demanded an additional 13.2 MHz of spectrum
DoT had raised the demand on December 22 and asked RCom to pay within a month.
Tata Group had hinted at combining its enterprise business with Tata Communications and its fixed-line and broadband businesses with Tata Sky.
Govt is set to garner Rs 1 lakh crore from sale of radiowaves.
Many chief executives said they were talking to people at the top level in their organisations to find how their companies can help the flood victims.
Mukesh Ambani's Jio, high debt and some bad decisions drove RCom to its grave.
Jio's disruptive strategy, including free voice services and data at throwaway rates, apart from offering all services free for six months, triggered a consolidation in the telecom sector.
Broadband connectivity to villages has been lagging, with delay in laying of an optical fibre network up to gram panchayats
The dual-technology operator plans to divert its mobile customers and those who use mobile internet to the GSM side of its business, and devote the CDMA business exclusively to dongles.
Most of the steep rate cuts announced might also not translate into bill savings for subscribers
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Monday said his company is open to joining hands with Bharti Airtel for improving telecom network for 4G services in Punjab.
No one is quite sure when the soft launch is likely.
Spectrum auction took off on Wednesday from Rs 58,980.29 crore (Rs 589.80 billion) mark with demand for the premium 900 Mhz band seemingly tapering off at the end of 56 rounds.
Sensex rises, Nifty holds 8,900; FMCG, Pharma shares lead.
For 2100-MHz, 2300-MHz and 2500-MHz bands across circles; aim to offer these with 3G and 4G in February
The Big Two telecom companies have accelerated their moves towards this next-gen technology, though they have chosen very different routes to getting there.
RCom is expected to have a 50% stake, Aircel 40% and MTS 10%
In the not too distant future, you could see 5G technology being used for functions such as remotely-performed robotic surgeries, mine equipment operated remotely or cars driven by someone sitting hundreds of miles away. While these ideas will certainly find application globally, the urgent need for them in India could spur swifter adoption here than elsewhere.
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