It is not clear, however, whether the two players are considering a majority stake or would be content as investors with 26 per cent.
In a first of its kind initiative and available only in Kolkata, mobile services provider Vodafone Essar, has launched the 'Sambhav' prepaid card, targeted at customers with hearing and speech disability.Available at Rs 151, the prepaid Sambhav card will enable the hearing impaired to communicate effectively using a cellphone. The card enables customers with hearing and speech disability to use mobile phones primarily for sending SMSes.
Ask for file notings on dual spectrum, new licence issues.
New telecom operators who have been given licences to operate pan-India GSM mobile services are all set to fight a bitter battle with the established GSM players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
The Department of Telecommunication and mobile service providers, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Communications failed to reach a consensus on the spectrum issue during a meeting held on Wednesday. According to sources, Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani raised the issue of extra spectrum being held by GSM operators. He asked how over 6.2 MHz of radio waves have been given to GSM players beyond their contractual agreement.
The SC had reserved its verdict on a bunch of similar petitions.
In a strategic climb-down, key members of the Cellular Operators Association of India have come to a consensus that they are willing to go for open auction of spectrum for second-generation services beyond 10 MHz.
Steering India towards a new level of wireless telephony, the government on Monday announced immediate release of spectrum for 'third generation' (3G) mobile services and allowed users to switch operators while retaining the cell phone numbers. Number portability, which would allow users to change their service provider while keeping the numbers unchanged, will be introduced in the four metropolitan cities at the earliest.
The agency said the recall of the order granting Kumar an interim protection from the arrest was necessary.
Tata Teleservices spokesperson confirmed the development, and said: "We have written to theDoT seeking clarity on the issue."
"If operators do not achieve their roll-out obligations, they would be given one year within which to fulfill their roll-out obligations. Within this one year, the operators would be fined a spectrum cess of 2.5 per cent of their winning auction per quarter," department of telecommunication said in its proposed guidelines for auction and allotment of spectrum for 3G services.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed Vodafone Essar Mobile Services to refund value-added service (VAS) charges that were levied without "explicit consent". However, the regulator did not specify the amount the GSM major has to refund to the consumers.
The rush to enter the world's fastest-growing mobile services market has attracted a wide range of applicants for telecom licences with the Department of Telecommunications.
The principal delay is because the defence forces, which are expected to vacate some spectrum for mobile service providers, are yet to identify locations for some sites for an alternative optic fibre network that is being developed for them.
At least 10 people, including some students of a Sunni seminary, were killed and over 80 others injured in sectarian violence that erupted in Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday after a clash during a Muharram procession, following which a curfew was imposed.
Bangalore-based Healthcare Magic, a first-of-its-kind, real-time, medical consultation portal, will soon tie up with Reliance Communications, the country's second-largest mobile service provider, to launch a Doc On Call service by December this year. Any call made to Healthcare Magic will be attended by a doctor on duty at the the company's Bangalore office.
India has shipped close to 85 million mobile handsets between April 2007 and March 2008, compared to under 66 million units shipped in the previous fiscal, registering an year-on-year growth of around 29 per cent.
The members could include National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, the secretary, Department of Telecommunications, and the secretary, Ministry of Defence.
The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission has issued notices to mobile operators Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Hutchison on a complaint over downloading of ring tones.
Some 74 applications for these licences for mobile services are pending with the Department of Telecom.
Mobile services provider Vodafone on Tuesday said it has signed an agreement with software products major Apple to sell iPhone in India, besides nine other markets. iPhone is a mobile phone that allows its user to make calls by simply tapping a name or number in the address book. It lets the customer to select and listen to voice mail messages in whatever order the consumer wants.
The department of telecommunication had earlier said a CDMA operator had written a letter to the government seeking auction of additional spectrum against the current subscriber-led allocation.
Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications, which offers GSM and CDMA mobile services, said it added 1.62 million new mobile users in March.A company official said the net additions from January to March this year stood at 4.83 million. RCom, the country's largest CDMA operator, added 1.6 million mobile users each for the first two months.
Talks have failed between the Dhoots of the Videocon group and Mahendra Nahata of Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd to buy out the latter's 36 per cent stake in all-India mobile licence-holder Datacom Solutions.
Foreign players too will be allowed to compete in the 3G space.
From a policy point of view, India's telecom industry is getting exciting once again. After a lull of a few years, we're back to the same half-truths from regulators/policy makers, and the all too familiar attempts to help favoured firms.
Sunil Mittal is confident that Airtel will retain its numero uno position, inspite of Vodafone's competition.
No hybrid name, exercise to begin this week.
As many as 342 aspirants, including AT&T, DLF and Deutsche Telecom-MoserBaer who failed to get new telecom licences in the last round, may get to bid for spectrum for launching next generation (3G) mobile services.The department of telecom (DoT) is understood to have mooted the proposal to allow those who had applied for licenses between September 25, 2007 and October 1, 2007, to participate in the next generation 3G mobile telephony services.
Says cap breached on account of Singh, Ghosh stakes.
A massive operation has been launched to track down the attackers, who fled the spot.
The DoT has set up a committee for the issue of spectrum cap.
Revenue collections relating to spectrum charges is Rs 3,015 crore in 2007-08 while it was Rs 2090 crore (Rs 20.9 billion) in 2006-07, Minister of State for IT and Communications Jyotirditya Scindia told Lok Sabha in a written reply. The sector has now 134 private licensees offering mobile services with a user base of 20.84 crore (Rs 208.4 million) till February 2008 with a total investment of Rs 95,000 crore (Rs 950 billion).
Tops the group in mobile voice usage volumes.
The department of telecommunication is expecting defence ministry to soon vacate the spectrum for mobile services, including 3G, as discussions with the armed forces are in final stages, a senior ministry official said on Wednesday.
In a letter sent to DoT last week, a senior ministry official said the Rs 1,650 crore did not reflect the current value of spectrum, the radio waves that enable wireless communications.
Telecom operator Vodafone has been the top gainer of customers through mobile number portability facility while Reliance Communications is the biggest loser.
The race for Hutch-Essar, the country's fourth largest mobile service provider, quickened on Wednesday with Hong-Kong based Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd formally informing the 4 companies in the fray to submit their bids by Friday
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