The Finance Ministry has refuted allegations that US pressure influenced the decision to levy a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI payments. The ministry clarified that the NPCI guidelines prioritise RuPay credit cards on UPI to promote domestic alternatives and ensure a self-sustaining revenue model for smaller domestic companies, countering claims of favouring foreign payment providers.
Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has uncovered a Rs 1.5 crore WhatsApp fraud, leading to the arrest of two key SIM and OTP suppliers in West Bengal. The investigation revealed a sophisticated international cybercrime network spanning China, Pakistan, India, and Hong Kong, operating a "boss scam" and utilizing a "Cybercrime as a Service" model. Police recovered a significant portion of the defrauded amount and secured thousands of devices.
The industry had seen a robust growth of 20 per cent in revenues at Rs 1,55,683 crore (Rs 1,556.83 billion) in 2008-09.
The Indian government has introduced a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions exceeding Rs 2,000, effective October 15. This move ends nearly six years of fully free UPI payments, though person-to-person (P2P) transfers and small P2M payments remain free. The charges aim to bolster investment in UPI infrastructure, with specific exemptions and caps for essential sectors.
The Indian government has introduced a 0.4% transaction fee on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments exceeding Rs 2,000 for merchants, effective October 15, marking the end of nearly six years of free service. Person-to-person transfers and small-value transactions below Rs 2,000 remain free. The new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is capped at Rs 300 for transactions above Rs 75,000, with differentiated rates for essential sectors and investments, and safeguards to prevent costs from being passed to consumers.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) stated that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) "is distributed only amongst the UPI ecosystem, to further invest into infrastructure resilience, innovation, cybersecurity (protecting the UPI infrastructure with banks and non-banks) and customer service."
UIDAI Chairman Neelkanth Mishra announced the extensive deployment of Artificial Intelligence to detect and counter fraud in Aadhaar, describing it as a "cat-and-mouse game." He highlighted the dramatic increase in daily Aadhaar authentications and the launch of the Aadhaar Face Authentication SDK and Sandbox to enhance security and ease of integration for ecosystem partners.
The government is introducing a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant payments above Rs 2,000, effective October 15. This move ends the zero-MDR regime, aiming to fund UPI infrastructure and sustainability, as the previous government subsidy was insufficient to cover operational costs. Payments between individuals and most everyday merchant transactions will remain free.
BRICS leaders, in their New Delhi Declaration 2026, have called for wider access to Artificial Intelligence resources and stronger international cooperation to ensure the technology is safe, secure, inclusive, and reliable. The declaration outlines a broad technology agenda covering AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, telecom, quantum technologies, and advanced manufacturing, committing to implement the grouping's statement on 'Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence'.
A top SBI official has highlighted the challenges bankers face in lending to MSMEs using only GST data, advocating for the integration of alternative data sources like power consumption and telecom records through credit bureaus to improve credit assessment.
Devastating flash floods near the Tibet-Nepal border have led to the evacuation of over 1,000 people, including tourists, from Gyirong County. The floods caused casualties in both Tibet and Nepal, disrupted infrastructure, and prompted a Level-IV alert due to a rapidly forming barrier lake with a high risk of breaching and causing further downstream flooding.
A frozen phone screen, a fake customer-care call, a screen-sharing request or even a duplicate SIM can give cybercriminals a route into your bank account.
Telecom czar Sunil Bharti Mittal plans to hand over the reins of Bharti Airtel to his children in the next decade and desires that promoter firm Bharti Telecom regains over 50 per cent stake in the company.
Indian stock markets saw a significant rebound, with the Sensex jumping nearly 790 points, primarily fuelled by strong buying interest in telecom, pharma, and private banking shares, despite a volatile trading session and a weakening rupee.
Reliance Jio is aiming to be one of the first scalable token service providers in the world by deeply adopting and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations, said Jio Platforms group chief executive officer (CEO) Mathew Oommen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
BSNL will start providing telecom services, both wireless and fixed line, in Mumbai and Delhi on behalf of MTNL from January 1 on a pilot basis for five to six months.
Flash floods in Tibet's Gyirong County, near the China-Nepal border, have resulted in five deaths and 558 missing individuals, including 260 foreign nationals. The disaster also caused significant casualties in Nepal and disrupted infrastructure. Rescue operations are underway, and concerns are rising over a newly formed barrier lake that poses a risk of further flooding.
Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani announced plans for Jio to develop a sovereign Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation and partner with global providers to extend connectivity to remote areas of India, aiming to strengthen India's self-reliance in space.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Wednesday found the overall level of service quality of basic (landline) telephony services to be 'poor.'
Chandra's tenure also saw a big jump in Tata Sons' other income, such as brand fee from group companies, treasury gains, and other non-recurring income.
Assam's flood death toll has climbed to 75 with seven new fatalities, even as the number of affected people decreased. The state government has increased the ex gratia payment to Rs 9 lakh per deceased family and relaxed norms for claiming compensation, including waiving mandatory post-mortem reports.
Airtel, which upgraded all postpaid customers to priority plans, argued that the service did not throttle or degrade the experience for its prepaid customers, forming the majority of its 368 million customers in the country.
In the next 36 months nearly 25 to 40 per cent of jobs will be under threat from AI and job losses are inevitable.
The search for N Chandrasekaran's successor as Tata Sons Chairman has reportedly narrowed to Tata Steel CEO T V Narendran, Tata Sons Executive Director Saurabh Agrawal, and NSE MD & CEO Ashish Chauhan, with Chauhan emerging as a potential 'dark horse' candidate.
44 per cent Indian respondents say that bundling media services with their telecom plan was the main reason they were willing to spend more on their mobile and fixed broadband bills.
Bharti Airtel, India's second-largest telecom operator, reported a 37.3 per cent rise in consolidated net profit to 8,167 crore for Q1 FY27, driven by the addition of high-paying premium customers, despite missing Bloomberg consensus estimates.
DIIs invested $22.8 billion in Indian equities in Q2CY26.
'... that work is done. The task is to reallocate what has been built, with the courage of a founder and the discipline of an owner.'
Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti highlighted the transformative role of satellite communications in expanding seamless connectivity across India, especially in remote areas. He noted that India's space economy is projected to grow significantly, driven by satcom technology that will bridge the digital divide, provide resilient infrastructure during disasters, and support strategic sectors.
Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti highlighted the transformative role of satellite communications in expanding seamless connectivity across India, especially in remote areas. He noted that India's space economy is projected to grow significantly, driven by satcom technology that will bridge the digital divide, provide resilient infrastructure during disasters, and support strategic sectors.
Hyderabad Police have apprehended 66 individuals linked to a nationwide 'ghost' SIM card network, connected to 76 cybercrime cases involving over Rs 101 crore.
India's total telephone subscriber base reached 1,321.31 million by the end of February 2026, marking a 0.56 per cent monthly growth, primarily fuelled by a significant surge in broadband adoption.
The revenue of telecom services, including that of cellular, fixed line, national long distance, international long distance, broadband, radio trunking and VSAT services, has risen to Rs 1,30,561 crore, registering a growth of 21.3 per cent, a survey by Voice&Data revealed. Among the services, cellular segment contributed a major chunk of around 59 per cent to the total revenue.
Telecom service providers (TSPs) have begun to monitor and prevent spam calls since May 1, with the help of an artificial intelligence and machine language-based system acting on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) latest directive on the matter, its officials told Business Standard. Touted as the first big technological measure against the growing menace of unsolicited commercial communications, all TSPs have confirmed to Trai that they have rolled out the AI/ML tool. The filter system works on the distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform used by TSPs, and is set to go for incremental updates, rules for which will soon be released, they added.
Reliance Industries Ltd reported a 22 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for the June quarter, primarily because the previous year's earnings were inflated by a one-time gain from the sale of its stake in Asian Paints.
These 10 things will help you become a smart telecom services user
Indian IT services firms are expected to report a soft Q1 FY27 performance due to a challenging macro environment, the impact of AI, and geopolitical uncertainties, leading to reduced discretionary spending and slower decision-making cycles, according to Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
Instant messaging platform Telegram has been restored in India after a week-long government ban, imposed due to its alleged role in circulating leaked NEET examination papers, expired. The Delhi High Court had upheld the ban as lawful and necessary.
'Healthy double-digit returns are still possible, though a sharp rally is unlikely.'
