The department for promotion of industry and internal trade has asked the telecom department and State-owned BSNL to put on hold the tender for setting up 4G network, valued at Rs 9,000 crore, after allegations emerged that the tender favoured foreign companies. The tender was floated by BSNL in March under the new management for setting up the 4G network.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director P K Purwar told PTI that the scheme will be open between November 4 and December 3, and that instructions have already been given to field units to inform employees about the VRS offering.
Reliance Jio added 34.7 lakh mobile subscribers in September, cementing its lead in the competitive telecom market, while Airtel's wireless subscriber tally rose by 13.2 lakh, according to monthly data put out by Trai. Vodafone Idea lost 7.5 lakh mobile subscribers during September, dragging its wireless user tally to 22.75 crore. Reliance Jio gained 34.75 lakh wireless subscribers in September, and its user base climbed to 44.92 crore, as per data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) said on Tuesday that as many as 78,569 employees have opted for VRS, and added that it expects to save Rs 1,300 crore in wage bills this fiscal after the scheme becomes effective in January.
BSNL offers 2GB data per day, unlimited calling for Rs 339
BSNL is providing telecom services in remote parts of the country and maintaining 17,000 to 18,000 exchanges, incurring Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore losses every year. Otherwise, these villages will be cut off.
BSNL told a government panel that it should be allocated 5 MHz spectrum in the 700 MHz band through the equity route
The government last month had approved a plum Rs 69,000 crore revival package for BSNL and MTNL that includes merging the two loss-making firms, monetising their assets and offering VRS to employees so that the combined entity turns profitable in two years.
The company, which has a subscriber base of 120 million, also plans to raise funds via a bonds issue. The company's impending 4G launch is also expected in the second half of the current financial year for which it would invest Rs 12,000 crore, partly through bonds.
The telecom ministry will decide on the merger between the state-owned telecom companies, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, only after the listing of the former.
The first quarter results (Q1FY25) of Indian IT services hint towards better fiscal growth than the preceding year, but as the management commentary said, "there is still some time for the industry to be firing on all cylinders." Among the majors-Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCLTech, and Wipro-it is the Bengaluru-based Infosys that has performed better, which was also evident in its full-year revenue guidance.
The package includes raising of Rs 15,000 crore sovereign bonds to meet the immediate capital requirement of both the companies, 4G spectrum allocation worth Rs 20,140 crore, Rs 29,937 crore for VRS covering 50 per cent of their employees, and Rs 3,674 crore for goods and services tax that will be levied on allocation of radiowaves.
Besides non-executive employees, over 10,000 engineers are also on an indefinite strike from Tuesday seeking absorption of officers on deputation from the department of telecommunication.
'The government wants foreign companies to capture the insurance market.'
At present MTNL and BSNL do not impose roaming charges for mobile internet services on each others customers.
State-run BSNL on Tuesday moved TDSAT against the regulator's order, asking the company to reduce carriage charges from 65 paise to 20 paise a minute irrespective of the distance.
The asset monetisation exercise in the first phase will help BSNL shave off its Rs 14,000-crore debt. The government has said that these firms are strategically important and will not be closed down or divested.
It is not just landlines, BSNL is losing mobile subscribers too, according to a Parliamentary panel which has pulled up the PSU for not taking effective steps to check its falling market share.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Friday reported a 9 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 12,434 crore in January-March quarter of FY24, helped by improved margin and strong performance of its India business. The largest software services exporter had reported a post tax profit of Rs 11,392 crore in the same period of the preceding fiscal. In the entire FY24, the company's net profit surged 9 per cent to Rs 45,908 crore, while the revenue rose to Rs 2,40,893 crore from Rs 2,25,458 crore registered in FY23.
BSNL on Monday moved the Supreme Court against an order of telecom tribunal TDSAT, directing it to provide interconnection to Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Communications through copper-based link.
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has unearthed a racket in which many subscribers are reported to have sought mobile phone connections from the BSNL after producing fake ration cards.
Leh District Magistrate Santosh Sukhadeve posted this photo on his X account thanking the Indian Army's Fire and Fury Corps for successfully destroying 175 landmines in the villages of Phobrang, Yourgo and Lukung in Leh on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
Apart from that, as part of efforts to provide assurance to 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel and relieve their stress, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has stepped in to provide them with a landline through which they can talk to their families.
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad made it clear that as of now, the government has no plans to merge BSNL and MTNL.
Numbers could be classified further into (140) marketing and (160 or 161) for service calls to easily identify the purpose of the call in the future.
With a view to attract customers, state-run BSNL on Friday reduced the installation charges of modem taken on monthly rental basis from BSNL to Rs 250 from Rs 500 for its broadband service DataOne.
BSNL unveiled a promotional unlimited wireline broadband plan that effectively translates into less than Re 1 per GB download cost for very high-usage subscribers
"To use this spectrum, BSNL has gone for a franchise model on a revenue-sharing basis. As per the provision of expression of interest and agreement signed with the franchisee companies, they are required to pay amortised value of spectrum/ cost to BSNL on monthly basis," Minister of State for IT & Telecom Gurudas Kamat said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Will be valid only for the first two months of a customer's joining
A panel said BSNL can claim tax breaks if it merges with a loss-making ITI and suggested BSNL can also merge MTNL with itself.
State-run BSNL has questioned the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's powers and jurisdiction in matters relating to interconnection between the PSU and other private service providers.
Software maker Intel India and telecom services provider BSNL on Tuesday joined hands for making personal computers and broadband accessible and available to the masses.
A Group of Ministers will consider a proposal to let BSNL and MTNL venture into cable TV and broadcasting services to help infuse life into the loss making companies.
State run BSNL on Monday it paid Rs 8,313.8 crore (Rs 83.13 billion) for Broadband Wireless Access spectrum, two days after the deadline expired, prompting the government to slap a penalty of Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) on the PSU.
In an apparent lack of desired response to its much hyped OneIndia tariff plan for fixed line services, state owned BSNL on Tuesday lowered its rental to Rs 225 a month from Rs 299 and also offered 25 free calls in a month. \n\n
BSNL will now offer free roaming from this month onwards.
In a bid to match its private sector rivals in providing better customer services, telecom public sector undertaking, BSNL has invited bids from companies to set up call centres at four zonal locations, including Gurgaon, for its broadband and cellul
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