Income will be higher as spectrum in 2,100-MHz band will also be auctioned
Surprisingly, RIL scrip also fell by 2.73 per cent to 1,029.15, becoming the second biggest loser in the index
Expressing concern over frequent internet shutdown without any empirical study, a parliamentary panel has pulled up the department of telecommunications for not maintaining the record of incidents and inaction on several of its recommendations.
For successive governments the Election Commission remains a 'holy cow', where unhealthy precedents are allowed to be nurtured since Independence, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The government is planning to divest its residual 26.12 per cent equity in the Tata-owned Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, now called Tata Communications. It is unlikely, however, that the government will decide to sell its entire residual stake in the stock market before it resolves the issue of the surplus land of around 773 acres that was kept outside the disinvestment process.
The government is likely to hold 5G spectrum auction in early June, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. The minister said that the Department of Telecom is working as per expected timeline and the process is on to resolve industry concerns around spectrum pricing. Asked about the schedule of the spectrum auction, Vaishaw said that it is expected to be in early June.
The government is likely to refer the controversial issue of Blackberry mobile phones to the Telecom Commission to decide whether operators can continue offering this service. The issue of Blackberry was raised after Tata Teleservices recently said they have been denied the permission to offer this value added service by the Ministry of Home Affairs due to security concerns. Telecom operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone & Reliance are offering Blackberry services to users.
Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) traded 2 per cent higher at Rs 2,310.10 on the BSE in intra-day trade in an otherwise volatile market after the company reported a 27.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in its consolidated net profit at Rs 17,394 crore for the September quarter (Q2FY24). While revenue growth of the company was flattish YoY at Rs 2.32 trillion, the profit rose on the back of operational improvement across most segments, especially higher profits in the O2C (oil-to-chemicals) and oil & gas businesses, as well as the retail business. "Strong operational and financial contribution from all business segments has helped Reliance deliver another quarter of robust growth," said Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of the company.
While there has been no official confirmation, some sources said the CRS informed in its report that the accident occurred due to human error on the part of on-duty officials in the Signalling and Telecom Department as well as the Traffic Department.
Reliance Industries' fourth investment cycle of an estimated USD 50 billion spending over the next three years could help the firm double its earnings, a report said. The firm's "fourth investment cycle this century has significant differences to past cycles, underappreciated energy tailwinds and the potential to double profits by 2027," Morgan Stanley said in a report. The spending is planned on chemicals, 5G, retail and new energy over the next three years.
Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday reported a 15 per cent drop in its net profit to Rs 15,792 crore for the third quarter, according to a company's stock exchange filing. The net profit of Rs 15,792 crore in October-December 2022 compares to Rs 18,549 crore a year back.
Addressing a pre-bid conference for auctioning 3G and BWA spectrum, telecom commission member (finance) R Ashok said, "Successful 3G bidders will be eligible for getting 2G spectrum." The auction for the allocation of third-generation radio waves is due next month. But there was confusion whether 3G players would be eligible to get 2G spectrum.
The government expects to garner about Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) from the existing mobile operators such as Airtel, Vodafone and Idea by imposing a one-time fee on those who are holding spectrum beyond the threshold limit of 6.2 Mhz, a move which will raise the cost of radio frequency.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has mooted a proposal under which operators will pay a one-time fee for all spectrum allotments beyond 6.2 MHz.
The ministry of finance has shot off a missive to the Department of Telecommunications stating there could be a revenue loss in 2006-07 to the national exchequer, owing to reduced license fee from international and national long distance services.
India's booming telecommunications industry is set to see investment in excess of $20 billion over the next five years, a senior government official said on Friday.
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The inter-ministerial body will take the final decision on October 29 taking into account Trai's reply.
In a bid to resolve the row between cellular and basic players, Communication and IT Minister Arun Shourie constituted on Friday a 7-member committee including Reliance's Mukesh Ambani and Bharti's Sunil Mittal
The decision of the Telecom Commission to approve in-flight connectivity won't just bring cheer to the chat-friendly passengers, but even more to the telecom industry facing severe financial stress, says Nivedita Mookerji.
Terming the ongoing telecom controversy as "hiccups of the learning curve", Planning Commission member N K Singh on Monday said it is for the regulator or the appellate bodies to see that the consumers are not affected.\n\n\n\n
Delay due to rise in operating cost of telcos, late adoption of 4G network
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has slapped a penalty of Rs 2,000 crore on Vodafone Idea and Rs 1,050 crore on Bharti Airtel based on sector regulator Trai's recommendation five years ago, according to sources. The DoT has given three weeks time to the telecom operators to pay the penalty, a source said while sharing the content of the demand notice served to the companies on Thursday. When contacted Bharti Airtel spokesperson said, "We are deeply disappointed with the arbitrary and unfair demand based on Trai recommendations of 2016 relating to provisions of point of interconnect to a new operator.
Bharti Airtel, the country's largest mobile operator, has already joined the global Seamless Alliance to provide in-flight connectivity.
Mahindra & Mahindra chairman emeritus Keshub Mahindra passed away this morning in Mumbai due to old age. Mahindra, 99, breathed his last this morning at home peacefully, said a person close to the family. After joining the company in 1947, he became the chairman in 1963.
The government may not auction spectrum frequency range between 27.5-28.5 gigahertz and leave it for satellite services, according to official sources. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had recommended a base price for this frequency range and suggested that it can be used for both mobile as well as satellite services. Two official sources acknowledged that Department of Telecom (DoT) is considering auctioning spectrum only up to 27.5 Ghz as sharing between the two services is difficult.
DoT will have wider consultations with all stakeholders.
Its says reconsider lower reserve price, uniform usage charges; GSM players to bear the brunt.
Vodafone Idea's (Vi's) search for a lifeline has turned longer and tougher even as it continues to lose customers and delay vendor payments. Vi's much-needed Rs 1,600-crore fundraising plan got stuck due to the government's silence on picking up a proposed 33 per cent equity in the financially stressed telco. The development spells further trouble for the company, which has an overall debt pile of Rs 2.2 trillion, including hefty dues to the government.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has bluntly told the government there is no reason for its members to roll out 5G networks as they will be unviable if 'captive private wireless networks' are allowed to be run by enterprises. The COAI, which has Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea as its key members, has written to Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw saying there is 'no business case for the roll out of 5G networks'. Permitting such captive networks will 'diminish the revenue so much that there will be no viable business case left for the telecom service providers and there will not remain any need for 5G network roll out by telecom service providers (TSPs)'.
The Department of Telecom has postponed the next spectrum auction to February 3 from January 23 amid pending issues, including spectrum usage charges, and a demand from operators seeking more time.
According to Jio, spectrum worth Rs 3.92 lakh crore is lying unused with the DoT for auction.
'We are targeting the 5G tender around January-March 2023.'
Telecom industry body COAI has approached the information technology ministry for removal of fake and misleading messages from social media platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter linking spread of COVID-19 to 5G technology. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, said the claims linking 5G with coronavirus are baseless as 5G networks have not yet been installed in the country and even 5G trials are yet to be started by the telecom operators. In a letter dated May 15 to MeitY additional secretary Rajendra Kumar, COAI director general S P Kochhar said: "To safeguard the national interest, we request your good office to kindly instruct all the social media platforms such as Facebook, Watsapp, Twitter, etc, to remove all such posts and misleading campaigns from their platforms on an urgent basis." People have been sharing audio and video messages on social media platforms in which 5G towers are being blamed for rise in casualties across the country even though none of the companies have installed 5G technology anywhere in India.
A panel headed by Economic Affairs secretary Arvind Mayaram had suggested FDI limit be raised to 49 per cent in almost all sectors through the automatic route.
How dominant are Chinese firms in India's sub-Rs 10,000 mobile device market? The question has become relevant as the government has been thinking of reserving this price segment for domestic players who have not been able to battle the Chinese onslaught. However, telecom firms and others are concerned that such a move could stymie the effort to build affordable 5G phones in the sub-Rs 10,000 category.
Of late, net neutrality has generated much debate.
The auction will help operators augment expansion of high-speed 4G voice and data services in the world's second largest mobile phone market.
Telecom Commission approves high base price of Rs 11,485 cr per Mhz for 700-Mhz frequency; no decision taken on proposed standard spectrum usage charges of 4.5%
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