The government on Wednesday notified its decision to permit 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) under automatic route in the telecom services sector. In a press note, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said foreign investment in telecom services will be subject to the condition of Press Note 3 of 2020. Accordingly, cases requiring prior government approval under the provisions of Press Note 3 will continue to be in place.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Monday gave its approval to Jio for the acquisition of Reliance Infratel (RITL). The tribunal asked Jio to deposit Rs 3,720 crore in the State Bank of India (SBI) escrow account to complete the acquisition of RCOM's tower and fibre assets. On November 6, Jio had proposed to deposit Rs 3,720 crore in an escrow account to complete the acquisition of Reliance Infratel which is undergoing an insolvency resolution process.
After targeting employees in the sectors of insurance, banking and hospitality, militants in Manipur have now targeted mobile operators in the state to continue their activities of extortion and abduction.The militants had earlier burned down mobile towers after employees of telecom companies refused to fulfill their demands. In February, militants of the Kangleipak Communist Party (Nongdrenkhomba faction) outfit burnt down a mobile tower and gunned down a security personnel.
Bharti Airtel on Monday reported a 168 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 3,593 crore for the September quarter, and the company unveiled top-level changes, including Gopal Vittal moving into the role of executive vice chairman on January 1, 2026. India's second-largest telco - that competes with Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea in the Indian telecom market - clocked quarterly revenues of Rs 41,473 crore, 12 per cent higher than the year-ago period, aided by strong momentum in India and growth in Africa.
Expressing concern over mobile signal spillover from Pakistan in the border areas of Western Rajasthan, newly-appointed South-Western Army Commander Lieutenant General Arun Kumar Sahni said the issue will be addressed in coordination with other agencies engaged in border guarding.
The Fixed Mobile Telephony service, to be operational from April 2, will however attract monthly charge.
The coveted Durand Cup trophy received a grand welcome with two retired Army officers showing their daredevilry by jumping from Kolkata's tallest building -- The 42 -- a 65-floor, 260-metre landmark
After a year, a father's hope of finding the body of his son, Shakir Wagey, who worked with the Territorial Army and was killed by terrorists, was rekindled on Wednesday when the Army recovered a decomposed body near a mobile tower in this district of South Kashmir.
The train, on its maiden trial run, arrived at Srinagar station in the Nowgam area on Srinagar's outskirts from Katra in Jammu.
After continuously bleeding subscribers for nearly two years, state-owned telecom services provider BSNL added 2.9 million users in July when its private-sector rivals raised tariffs by nearly 20 per cent. With BSNL keeping tariffs unchanged, many subscribers using entry-level plans shifted from Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), said analysts.
Messages sent through Internet-based messaging service providers such as Whatsapp, Signal, and Telegram, as well as those which are encrypted, are understood to be within the Act's ambit.
The conversion of interest into equity stake for the government in Vodafone Idea (Vi) will be decided after the telecommunications (telecom) company's stock price stabilises above Rs 10, India's largest mobile tower installation company Indus Towers has said in its second-quarter report. The board of Vi had, in January, approved the conversion of Rs 16,130 crore worth of interest on adjusted gross revenue dues into equity for the government. This will give the government around 33 per cent stake in Vi.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd is expected to use between 30,000 and 45,000 mobile towers when it starts offering 4G services in the third or fourth quarter of this financial year, according to Credit Suisse.
Seeking urgent steps by mobile operators to check call drops, regulator TRAI on Wednesday said their performance would be reviewed after 15 days and warned it will "cross the bridge" if they fail to do the needful.
Indian Railways is in talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm to allow the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major's use of its towers. The aim is seamless mobile and internet connectivity for passengers along the 67,368-km of tracks. The Railway Board has entrusted its RailTel Corporation arm to work on the modalities with Jio. The Jio tie-up is expected to bring down its telecom bill by at least 35 per cent from this financial year.
This move is seen as part of efforts to strengthen China's ties with Pakistan and safeguard Chinese investments in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, particularly related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Telecom operators have cited shutting down of mobile towers and lack of spectrum, as the major reasons for call drops
Dubai, a day after it experienced the most torrential rain in 75 years, April 17, 2024.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared utilisation of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for provision of mobile connectivity in 7,287 uncovered villages across five states at an estimated cost of Rs 6,466 crore. Briefing media on the Cabinet decisions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said these uncovered villages of 44 aspirational districts across five states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha will get 4G-based mobile services.
American Tower bulks up in India with $1.2 billion Viom stake buy
Militants on Friday fired rifle grenades targeting an army bunker guarding a camp of the security forces in north Kashmir Sopore town.
The company has similar pact with Bharti Infratel.
The chief engineer of 'Project Vartak', Brig Raman Kumar told ANI that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is developing and maintaining all road networks in the key border areas of western Assam and western Arunachal Pradesh.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk thanked Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for not agreeing with Indian tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal on auctioning spectrum for satellite services, saying he is looking forward to serving Indians. Reacting to Scindia's statement that satellite spectrum will not be auctioned, Musk, in a post on X, said, "much appreciated! We will do our best to serve the people of India with Starlink".
This has also raised concerns over undetected infiltrations from across the Line of Control and terrorists potentially residing in the outskirts of cities and villages, they said.
Agreement between Bharti Airtel and Loop Mobile, which offers mobile services in Mumbai, expired on October 31
Reliance Communications, India's second-biggest mobile operator, has decided to demerge its telecom tower business -- Reliance Infratel (Rel Infra). The company's board has approved a proposal to restructure the ownership of the tower firm to help create an independent tower company.
When an actor has worked for as long as Manoj Bajpayee, one tends to lose their sense of originality under the sheen of stardom. But the actor's versatility sparkles in his willingness to start on a fresh note every single time, applauds Sukanya Verma.
Concerned over the series of attacks on mobile phone towers in the valley, the Centre also issued an advisory to the state government.
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel reported more than 2.5 times jump in its consolidated profit to Rs 4,160 crore in the April-June quarter of 2024-25 compared to the year-ago period driven by an improvement in average revenue per user and an exceptional gain of Rs 735 crore. The company had posted a profit of Rs 1,612.5 crore in the same period a year ago. The consolidated revenue from operations of Bharti Airtel increased by 2.8 per cent to Rs 38,506.4 crore during the reported quarter from Rs 37,440 crore in the June quarter of the last year.
Maoists on Wednesday set afire a railway station, attacked a police station and blew up six mobile phone towers at different places to enforce a bandh to protest the arrest of their leader Jagdish Master in Bihar's Gaya district.
Intensifying operations against the Naxals and chocking the flow of funds to them were the two key issues discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union home mAmit Shah and attended by six chief ministers and top officials of four other states here on Sunday, sources said.
The government has banned mobile phone towers in school and hospital premises and directed cellular firms to take permission from Residents Welfare Associations before setting up base stations in residential areas, in efforts to limit the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation exposure.
The building, which housed godowns on the ground and first floors and four families on the top floor, collapsed at 1.45 pm on Saturday at Wardhaman Compound in Valpada of Mankoli area.
High drama was witnessed near New Delhi Railway Station on Friday when an army man climbed a 200-feet mobile tower, protesting alleged harassment by his seniors.
Under the previous quality of service rules, penalty on call drop was Rs 100,000 per violation and could go up to Rs 200,000 in case of third subsequent violation.
Bharti Airtel on Monday posted a 54 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,442.2 crore in the December quarter, mainly on account of growth in high value customers. Airtel prepaid mobile customers are required to pay at least Rs 155 for about a month-long service as the company had raised rates by 56 per cent in January 2023. Bharti Airtel managing director Gopal Vittal has indicated a need for further increase in mobile services rates.
The missing plane could possibly be located on Monday after Nepal Telecom tracked down the cellphone of the airplane's pilot Captain Prabhakar Ghimire through the Global Positioning System network.
The company added 95 lakh new 4G subscribers taking its total 4G subscriber base to 7.53 crore inching closer to its peer Bharti Airtel which reported 4G customer base of 7.7 crore.
The gang planned to use sophisticated weapons, including AK-47, from Pakistan for the attack, the official said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances