News for 'State for Telecom'

Truth can be rattled, not defeated: Pilot after being sacked

Truth can be rattled, not defeated: Pilot after being sacked

Rediff.com14 Jul 2020

Sachin Pilot also changed his profile on Twitter

What states must ideally do to boost the broader economy

What states must ideally do to boost the broader economy

Rediff.com22 Apr 2015

Indian states are preparing for a Rs 1.9 lakh crore (Rs 1.9 trillion) tax windfall this fiscal year.

Reliance beats Street with record profit in Q1

Reliance beats Street with record profit in Q1

Rediff.com30 Jul 2020

The company raised Rs 53,124 crore through a rights issue and sold nearly 33 per cent stake in Jio Platforms Ltd - the firm that houses telecom business and apps - to likes of Facebook and Google for Rs 152,056 crore.

AG cautions Supreme Court of intruding into policy domain

AG cautions Supreme Court of intruding into policy domain

Rediff.com4 May 2022

Attorney General K K Venugopal on Wednesday defended The Tribunals Reforms Act of 2021 in the Supreme Court and said that many times the top court through its judgments had waded "into the policy domain" and it should "keep in mind separation of powers".

BSNL starts India's first internet phone service

BSNL starts India's first internet phone service

Rediff.com11 Jul 2018

Now BSNL customers will be able to make calls using the company's mobile app 'Wings' to any phone number in the country.

Vodafone Idea, COAI push for urgent relief measures

Vodafone Idea, COAI push for urgent relief measures

Rediff.com27 Feb 2020

In its letter Voda Idea has warned that it is not in a sound financial state, and added that it would be in a position to meet its liabilities only if the government initiates steps including allowing set-offs for GST credit accumulated so far, and permitting staggered mechanism for payment of balance amount of interest, penalty, and interest on penalty.

With Air India, Tatas get a stake in Kerala's Cochin airport

With Air India, Tatas get a stake in Kerala's Cochin airport

Rediff.com9 Dec 2021

As the Tata group inches closer to taking over Air India in January 2022, the $242-billion conglomerate will also inherit a stake in Kerala's Cochin airport. The Tatas would become the only airline to have an operational stake in a major Indian airport. The airport is a strategic hub connecting India to Middle East nations - home to the largest share of Indian migrant workers. In addition to Air India and Air India Express, private carrier Indigo also uses Cochin to ferry the lucrative 'Malayali Gulf traffic' to multiple locations like Jeddah, Riyadh, Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain, among others. According to regulatory filings, Air India has a three per cent stake in Cochin International Airport.

Bidding of BSNL land assets fails to garner interest

Bidding of BSNL land assets fails to garner interest

Rediff.com7 Feb 2022

The first ever auction of non-core assets through the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management's (DIPAM) asset monetisation portal has failed to garner adequate response for land assets of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) that was expected to garner at least Rs 470 crore. The DIPAM has asked its property consultants to identify issues in the bidding criteria that can be resolved. In November 2021, the DIPAM had listed six properties of BSNL and MTNL for sale through its new e-bidding portal for asset monetisation portal developed by state-run MSTC.

Will the rural-urban telecom divide widen?

Will the rural-urban telecom divide widen?

Rediff.com9 Mar 2009

A further reduction in termination rates would seriously impact mobile operators' plans to expand in rural areas, say Rajat Kathuria and Mahesh Uppal.

Reliance slips 59 places on Fortune list; ranks 155th

Reliance slips 59 places on Fortune list; ranks 155th

Rediff.com2 Aug 2021

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd slipped 59 places to rank 155th on the 2021 Fortune Global 500 list released on Monday. Reliance took a beating on the rankings as revenues dropped owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is its lowest ranking since 2017. Walmart continues to top the Fortune list with a revenue of $524 billion, followed by China's State Grid at $384 billion.

Mukesh Ambani says Reliance now has strong balance sheet to support growth

Mukesh Ambani says Reliance now has strong balance sheet to support growth

Rediff.com2 Jun 2021

After record fund raising, Reliance Industries now has a strong balance sheet with high liquidity that will support growth plans for its three hyper-growth engines, Jio, Retail and oil-to-chemicals, according to the firm's chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani. In the company's latest annual report released on Wednesday, he said the company sold minority stakes in Jio Platforms -- the unit that houses its telecom and digital business -- and retail arm for almost Rs 2 lakh crore and raised another Rs 53,124 crore through rights issue.

Major drivers for the equity markets this week

Major drivers for the equity markets this week

Rediff.com24 Jan 2022

Equity markets will look for directions from global trends, ongoing quarterly earnings and investment patterns of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in a holiday-shortened week ahead and may encounter volatility amid the scheduled monthly derivatives expiry, according to analysts. Equity markets will remain closed on Wednesday on account of 'Republic Day'. "This week is a holiday-shortened one and it's going to be critical due to the list of events and data that are lined up.

RIL raises $4 bn in India's largest-ever foreign currency bonds issue

RIL raises $4 bn in India's largest-ever foreign currency bonds issue

Rediff.com6 Jan 2022

Reliance Industries Ltd, the nation's most valuable company, on Thursday said it has raised $4 billion (around Rs 30,000 crore) in debt through the largest ever foreign currency bond issuance by an Indian entity. The oil-to-telecom conglomerate plans to use the proceeds of the three tranche issues to retire existing borrowings. The issue was "nearly 3 times oversubscribed with a peak order book aggregating around $11.5 billion," the company said in a statement. This is the largest ever foreign currency bond transaction in India, eclipsing ONGC Videsh Ltd's $2.2 billion US dollar bonds issue of 2014.

What if Vodafone Idea shuts shop?

What if Vodafone Idea shuts shop?

Rediff.com21 Aug 2021

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have enough capacity to absorb over 113.9 million Vodafone Idea subscribers who are on 4G if Vodafone Idea has to shut operations.

Unique 'punishment' for 2G accused

Unique 'punishment' for 2G accused

Rediff.com8 Feb 2019

High court orders Swan Telecom's promoter Shahid Balwa, the director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables, Rajeev Agarwal, and three firms, namely Dynamic Realty, DB Realty, and Nihar Constructions to plant 3,000 trees each in the Delhi's South Ridge forest area.

Sensex pares gains; ends down 237 points

Sensex pares gains; ends down 237 points

Rediff.com13 Apr 2022

Equity indices gave up early gains to close in the red for the third session on the trot on Wednesday, weighed by selling in banking and finance counters amid inflationary pressures and persistent foreign fund outflows. A weak rupee and lacklustre global cues also kept buying sentiment in check, traders said. The 30-share BSE Sensex opened on a firm footing but failed to hold on the momentum, finishing 237.44 points or 0.41 per cent lower at 58,338.93. On similar lines, the broader NSE Nifty dipped 54.65 points or 0.31 per cent to close at 17,475.65.

Winners and losers amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Winners and losers amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Rediff.com5 Feb 2021

CEOs expect to finish the ongoing March quarter with positive growth as the corporates get back to work in full strength.

Indian IT cos expand base in Baltic states

Indian IT cos expand base in Baltic states

Rediff.com14 Sep 2007

Most Indian IT firms, including TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Mindtree, Infotech and Sasken, which started their operations in the region with a small base, have expanded their base fast.

Bharti, UK govt consortium win bid for bankrupt satellite firm OneWeb

Bharti, UK govt consortium win bid for bankrupt satellite firm OneWeb

Rediff.com3 Jul 2020

While Indian telecom czar Sunil Mittal's Bharti did not share deal details, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said his government and Bharti Global, will provide $500 million each.

Sensex, Nifty edge down on profit-booking in banking, metal stocks

Sensex, Nifty edge down on profit-booking in banking, metal stocks

Rediff.com29 Dec 2021

Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty retreated from over one-week highs to close lower on Wednesday due to profit booking in banking, IT and metal stocks amid weak global trends. After a two-day rally, the 30-share BSE Sensex dropped by 90.99 points or 0.16 per cent to settle at 57,806.49 in volatile trade. As many as 19 of its constituents declined while 11 advanced. The broader Nifty slipped by 19.65 points or 0.11 per cent to close at 17,213.60 with 31 of its stocks ending in the red.

Factors that will dictate stocks' movement in 2022

Factors that will dictate stocks' movement in 2022

Rediff.com30 Dec 2021

From the pandemic shocks to state polls to global trends, a raft of sentiment drivers are expected to steer the Indian stock market in 2022 after a historic year of massive investor returns and milestones. The Union Budget, which will be closely watched for further reform moves, and quarterly earnings of corporates will be among the developments on investors' radar amid global central banks moving towards tighter interest regime in the wake of inflationary pressures. The year 2021 was rewarding in a big way for equity investors.

45% growth in active internet users in rural India since 2019

45% growth in active internet users in rural India since 2019

Rediff.com6 May 2022

There has been a 45 per cent growth in 'active internet users' in rural India since 2019, according a study by Nielsen, a global company for audience measurement, data and analytics. The Bharat 2.0 Internet report said that female active internet users grew by 61 per cent since 2019. The report said that India has 646 million active Internet users aged 2 years and above as of December 2021. Rural India has 352 million internet users--almost 20 per cent higher than urban.

Analysts give thumbs down to BSNL-MTNL meger

Analysts give thumbs down to BSNL-MTNL meger

Rediff.com24 Oct 2019

'The announcement has come too late. This should have been done years ago.'

47 dead as heavy rains lash Uttarakhand; rescue ops on

47 dead as heavy rains lash Uttarakhand; rescue ops on

Rediff.com19 Oct 2021

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the loss of lives in Uttarakhand and noted that rescue operations are underway to help the affected.

AGR issue: Vodafone Idea, Airtel suffer quarterly loss totalling Rs 74,000 cr

AGR issue: Vodafone Idea, Airtel suffer quarterly loss totalling Rs 74,000 cr

Rediff.com14 Nov 2019

Vodafone Idea and Airtel have made provisions for their liabilities arising from the Supreme Court order in their latest September quarter results.

Reliance Q3 net up 12% on strong momentum in retail, Jio

Reliance Q3 net up 12% on strong momentum in retail, Jio

Rediff.com22 Jan 2021

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday reported a 12 per cent rise in December quarter net profit on improving oil-to-chemical business, strong continued momentum in retail and steady telecom unit Jio.

Porn ban: State cannot become the moral police, Centre tells SC

Porn ban: State cannot become the moral police, Centre tells SC

Rediff.com10 Aug 2015

The NDA government, under attack for blocking porn sites, on Monday told the Supreme Court that it does not believe in a "totalitarian" state and cannot become moral police.

The sorry state of Delhi's bureaucrats

The sorry state of Delhi's bureaucrats

Rediff.com1 Jun 2015

A tussle between the Delhi government and the Lt Governor has left bureaucrats vulnerable to sudden transfers.

Sunil Mittal approaches govt over statutory dues

Sunil Mittal approaches govt over statutory dues

Rediff.com28 Oct 2019

Supreme Court had on October 24 upheld government contention that non-core revenue in telecoms groups should be included in adjusted gross revenue. According to DoT's calculations, Bharti Airtel faces a liability of around Rs 42,000 crore after including licence fees and spectrum usage charges while Vodafone-Idea may have to pay about Rs 40,000 crore.

Reliance buys New York's premium luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental for $98.15 mn

Reliance buys New York's premium luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental for $98.15 mn

Rediff.com9 Jan 2022

Mandarin Oriental New York, the premium luxury hotel a subsidiary of Reliance Industries is acquiring, is known for its much-in-demand ballroom, five-star spa and eating and drinking venues, including MO Lounge. Liam Neeson and Lucy Liu are among regular guests. Set up in 2003, 248-rooms-and-suites hotel towering over Central Park is an iconic luxury hotel located at 80 Columbus Circle, directly adjacent to the pristine Central Park and Columbus Circle.

GDP to clip at 9.5% as growth impulses strong: Das

GDP to clip at 9.5% as growth impulses strong: Das

Rediff.com10 Nov 2021

Stating that growth impulses and the fast-moving indicators are strong, Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday exuded confidence of the economy clipping at the projected 9.5 per cent this fiscal. Giving all the credit for the faster-than-expected recovery of the economy to the government, Das said the central bank has only been supporting the government in reviving the economy ravaged by the pandemic. Citing a slew of measures the government has taken since the pandemic struck in March 2020, the governor specifically mentioned tax cuts on fuels, tax resolution for the telecom sector, annulling of the retro tax legislation, sale of Air India, plans to sell some of the public sector banks and PLI scheme as the major reforms and growth-drivers bearing fruits now.

Why does India fail to attract foreign investments in oil & gas?

Why does India fail to attract foreign investments in oil & gas?

Rediff.com1 Dec 2021

Why does the world's fastest-growing major consumer of energy fail to attract investments in oil and gas? This is a question worth pondering after private sector conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) failed to close a $15-billion downstream asset deal with Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Aramco. It's understandable if multi-billion dollar investments in oil and gas projects or deals involving state companies that need to traverse a complex bureaucracy at state and federal levels and the corridors of ministries unravel. However, Mukesh Ambani-run RIL, India's most successful energy company, is not typically known to fumble on closing deals (Ambani closed deals worth around Rs 2 trillion early last year in telecom and retail with blue chip investors).

Fitch upgrades RIL a notch above India's sovereign rating

Fitch upgrades RIL a notch above India's sovereign rating

Rediff.com24 Jun 2021

Fitch Ratings has upgraded Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL) rating to 'BBB', one notch above India's sovereign rating, as the company benefits from cash flow generation across diversified business segments and continuation of deleveraging. In a statement, Fitch said it has upgraded RIL's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating (IDR) to 'BBB', from 'BBB-', with a negative outlook. At the same time, the agency has affirmed RIL's long-term local-currency IDR at 'BBB+' with a stable outlook.

Telecom: Rs 300,000 cr needed

Telecom: Rs 300,000 cr needed

Rediff.com22 Mar 2005

The government on Tuesday said it would require about Rs 300,000 crore (Rs 3000 billion) of investment for the equipment to roll out broadband services and 150 million new telephone lines over the next three years.

Reliance reboots Aramco deal, to re-evaluate structure

Reliance reboots Aramco deal, to re-evaluate structure

Rediff.com19 Nov 2021

After missing two self-imposed deadlines, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday announced recalibration of a proposed $15 billion deal to sell 20 per cent stake in its oil refinery and petrochemical business to Saudi Aramco, saying the two firms have agreed to re-evaluate the proposed investment in light of the Indian firm's new energy forays. The stake sale talks, which were first officially revealed in August 2019, are being reset in light of Reliance making forays into new energy business in recent months by investing $10 billion in alternative energy over three years. To pivot to green energy, it has already bought a German maker of photovoltaic solar wafers and signed a deal with a Danish company to manufacture hydrogen electrolysers in India.

Lockdown is only about control not health, says Anil Ambani's son Anmol

Lockdown is only about control not health, says Anil Ambani's son Anmol

Rediff.com7 Apr 2021

Anmol Ambani, the eldest son of industrialist Anil Ambani, has lashed out against a new round of lockdowns being imposed amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, saying such restrictions do not concern health but control and that they destroy the very backbone of the society and economy. The 29-year-old former executive director of Reliance Capital Ltd in a series of tweets lambasted the new semi-lockdown rules hurting small businesses and daily wage earners. "Professional 'actors' can continue shooting their films. Professional 'cricketers' can play their sport late into the night. Professional 'politicians' can continue their rallies with masses of people. But YOUR business or work is not ESSENTIAL. Still don't get it?" he said in a tweet.

One week, Rs 1.47 lakh cr dues: What will telcos do?

One week, Rs 1.47 lakh cr dues: What will telcos do?

Rediff.com17 Jan 2020

Following the October 24 Supreme Court order, the department of telecom estimated that the total liability of 15 telecom companies, including penalties and interest, would be Rs 1.47 lakh crore.

Govt dept wants home ministry to allow limited activity in select sectors

Govt dept wants home ministry to allow limited activity in select sectors

Rediff.com12 Apr 2020

The department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) has suggested to the home ministry to allow limited activity in certain sectors such as heavy electricals and telecom equipment with reasonable safeguards. In a letter to Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the department said that these activities are essential to improve the economic situation and provide liquidity in the hands of the people.

Jio designed to help India lead fourth industrial revolution: Mukesh Ambani

Jio designed to help India lead fourth industrial revolution: Mukesh Ambani

Rediff.com8 Oct 2020

Having missed most of the first three industrial revolutions, India has its chance to lead the fourth industrial revolution through a convergence of its IT prowess, ultra-high-speed internet connectivity and affordable smart devices, billionaire Mukesh Ambani said on Thursday. The richest Indian, who heads the nation's most valuable company Reliance Industries, said his group's telecom and digital unit Jio was conceived to provide the key ingredients needed to lead the fourth industrial revolution.