The modernisation of defence signalling equipment, the universal licensing and other such measures were likely to change the face of the telecom sector in the next two years, Arun Shourie, Union minister for telecommunications and divestment, said.
Company also called for clarity on jurisdiction and role of the TRAI and TDSAT.
A Central Bureau of Investigation officer, who was part of the probe team investigating the 2G spectrum scam, on Thursday denied in a Delhi court that A Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia was falsely implicated in the case as he had refused to depose against the former telecom minister.
Telecom Minister A Raja said on Wednesday that the government is considering number portability in the mobile sector.
Most, save Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu, were silent on Bihar polls; it was business as usual for the PM.
The Supreme Court has cancelled the grant of 2G licences stating that 122 licences for 2G spectrum were granted in arbitrary and unconstitutional manner.
Terming unsolicited calls by the telemarketers as a "menace", Minister of State for Telecom Sachin Pilot said the government will soon put a complete curb on such calls and SMSes.
The government will send notices to 85 companies asking why their licences should not be cancelled for suppressing facts, said Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday.
US tech giant IBM is betting big on the India growth story and plans to open more software development centres in the country as it looks to partner with the government in its digitisation journey, its chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said on Friday. On a visit to India, Krishna met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar to discuss deeper collaboration including skilling and workforce development. The firm that originally designed the technology and system behind ATMs, barcodes and the US social security net, is greatly enthused with the speed at which the Indian government is willing to make decisions and where it is moving, he told a select media briefing.
Sibal discussed issues ranging from spectrum sharing, merger and acquisition, annual spectrum usage charge and rising disputes among the telecom firms.
The announcement quells fears among some telcos that Chinese players might be banned from participating in 5G trials and roll outs.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday told a Delhi court that it would not oppose the bail plea of Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa in the 2G case keeping in view the Supreme Court and High Court orders granting bail to other co-accused in the case.
India and the US on Friday said they have started talks to put in place a strategic framework for human space flight by year-end as they plan to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024.
Stepping up defence cooperation, India and the US are poised to unveil a roadmap for industries in the sector to partner closely in co-production, co-development and maintaining supply change during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US beginning June 21.
Other members of the search panel are secretary (personnel) Shantanu Consul, telecom secretary P J Thomas, IIT Chennai professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, IIM Ahmedabad professor Samir Baruha and IISC Bangalore professor N Balakrishnan.
CBI had started preliminary inquiry into the deal on January 4, 2011 and nine months later on October 9 had registered the FIR.
An internal committee of Department of Telecom had alleged that Bharti Airtel had continued to route national and international calls as local calls under a scheme till 2005 despite being told to stop it in 2003.
Clearly, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu and his team are looking to raise their game in India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran's continuation in the cabinet was "untenable" in the wake of allegations that he could have indirectly benefitted from payoffs in a telecom deal.
Company says it has been the victim of a 'mischievous' campaign by rivals.
Even if the company's merger issue was sorted out, it would have a lot of ground to cover in order to attract subscribers.
Earlier, the Telecom Commission, a decision-making arm of the Telecom Ministry, had recommended that the government pick up a majority stake in the special purpose vehicle created to execute the sale of surplus land lying with VSNL (now Tata Communications).
The Railway Board also said several infrastructure projects are under progress with stringent targets and officers and staffers on the field need to be sensitised that the integrity of the signalling system is of utmost importance from a safety point of view.
The prime minister, who is visiting the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, will join them for the state banquet along with a number of dignitaries on Thursday.
Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, chargesheeted in the 2G spectrum scam, today told a Delhi court that the CBI should have named Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as one of the witnesses in the case.
'I was in the US, where I met top executives of HP and Dell, and they are very keen to come to India.' 'Acer and ASUS have also evinced interest.'
he meeting is part of Sibal's efforts to achieve the 100-day plan for reforms in the telecoms sector in consultation with the industry.
Shourie held the telecom portfolio between January 2003 and May 2004 in the NDA regime.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja ignored the advice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the availability of 2G spectrum be assessed before the grant of licences, Central Bureau of India said on Saturday in its first chargesheet filed before a special court in New Delhi.
The government on Monday finally stepped in to resolve the ongoing battle among mobile operators and said efforts are on to iron out the differences that had paralysed telecom services in the capital.\n\n
The Union Cabinet on Thursday is believed to have deferred a proposal for hiking foreign investment cap in telecom sector to 74 per cent from the existing 49 per cent.
A key prosecution witness in the 2G spectrum case on Wednesday told a Delhi court that former Telecom Minister A Raja had communicated to the prime minister about the policy for distribution of licences 'at his level' and the issues involved in it were 'not processed' in the DoT files.
The draft report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G scam is critical of the decision taken by the then National Democratic Alliance government to grant concessions to telecom operators over non-recovery of "huge amount" of licence fee despite opposition by then Telecom Minister Jagmohan.
In December, Trai had floated a pre-consultation paper seeking inputs from stakeholders on tariff for national roaming services.
Joint parliamentary committee Chairman P C Chacko on Tuesday said the committee, probing the 2G telecom spectrum allocation scam, has called all important witnesses but is yet to take a decision on calling former Telecom Minister A Raja before it.
Sources say companies will have to keep the market share of merged entities below 50% in all circles
The Central Bureau of Investigation will file this week its first chargesheet into the 2G spectrum scam against former telecom minister A Raja and some of his close aides besides a couple of real estate companies for allegedly defrauding the exchequer and entering into a criminal conspiracy in securing the telecom licenses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to make this decade a "techade" for India and the push for 5G, semiconductors and transformation through digital services is going to boost the technology sector in the country, industry players said on Monday. Modi, in his speech on the 76th Independence Day, touched upon all-round development of technology in the country, from 5G to push for electronic chips, laying of optical fibre cable (OFC) network across villages and enablement of digital entrepreneurship in villages through Common Services Centres, making the present decade as "techade" for India. Homegrown mobile devices maker Lava International's Chairman and Managing Director Hari Om Rai said electronics and technology sectors create about $4 trillion of revenue.
The proposal gains significance because the merger plan was given a quiet burial under former telecom minister A Raja.
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