Govt to bear Rs 12k-cr cost of spectrum retention but without any cash outgo put up for Cabinet nod.
The empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on telecom headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday decided to impose a one-time fee on incumbent operators prospectively for spectrum beyond 4.4 MHz in GSM and 2.5 MHz in CDMA.
Historically, public sector units were conceived of under the assumption that they will control the 'commanding heights' of the Indian economy, which were necessary for rapid industrial growth but where private investment was unwilling to enter.
In a letter to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Tata Communications chairman Subodh Bhargave gave a summary of the sequences of events since 2005, which also have concurrence of two directors nominated by the government.
The DoT and CAG developments come in the wake of reports of revenue loss and misuse of WiMax licences.
The proposal gains significance because the merger plan was given a quiet burial under former telecom minister A Raja.
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 'Winknet Mf50' router comes in handy when there is a need to connect more than one device on a single SIM card.
The connectivity will not only improve delivery of government schemes but will also empower people, he said while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi.
The employees, who will avail the VRS, would get an ex-gratia amount of 60 days salary (basic + dearness allowance) for each completed year of service, or salary for the number of months left in the service, whichever is less.
BSNL had earlier cancelled its tender for 5.5 million GSM lines and called for bids again after revising the guidelines, following an amendment in the licence conditions for security purposes.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has started talks on synergising operations with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, which offers telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai.
Senior Indian Telecom Service officer A K Sinha on Thursday assumed charge as the chairman and managing director of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
A committee headed by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister, has suggested that state-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd should retire or transfer about 100,000 of its employees through measures such as a voluntary retirement scheme. This is a third of BSNL's total employee strength, of 300,000 across the country.To improve organisational performance and employee productivity substantially, BSNL should induct young talent in all spaces.
A committee headed by Sam Pitroda, advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, suggested that state-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd scrap its controversial 93-million GSM lines tender.The committee said BSNL should change its method of growth from outright purchase of equipment to lease arrangement. The vendor who would supply the equipment should be responsible for installation, maintenance and operations, besides future expansion.
A decision on the merger will take some time as there are procedural problems with MTNL being a listed entity and BSNL non-listed.
Union minister of state for agriculture and consumer affairs K V Thomas launched the facility at a function in Kochi on Saturday.
The government's plan to list state-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd will be delayed due to the company's mounting losses and high payout for 3G spectrum.
Given the extent of damage a cyber attack can unleash, accessing and then damaging a key website has the potential to destabilise an entire nation, warns Vicky Nanjappa
Minister of State for IT and Communications Sachin Pilot would distribute 1,000 mobile handsets with BSNL connections to below poverty line families near Jaipur on Thursday, according to a BSNL official.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said that candidates belonging to the Other Backward Class category are required to be adjusted against the general category who were more meritorious than the last of the general category candidates appointed.
BSNL has been among the top three net losers in terms of subscribers. MTNL, which operates in only the Delhi and Mumbai circles, has lost, too.
Says nothing should move until system is in place to enable full tapping of lines.
The state-run telecom operator had recovered Rs 2,541.84 crore (Rs 25.41 billion) up to September 2012.
If candidates from the private sector are selected, this will be the first time that these telecom PSUs are headed by chiefs from the private sector.
But BSNL operates in the dynamic telecom sector with high growth rates. BSNL's problems have more to do with management and interference from the DoT.
The department of telecommunications has agreed to set up a search committee to look for new chairmen and managing directors for both, as suggested by the Sam Pitroda-led committee on the organsiation's revamp.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a sub divisional engineer of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd of Roorkee, Ashok Chaudhary, and four private persons of Faridabad (Haryana) and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), including an NRI kingpin based in Saudi Arabia, Sayeed Zaidi, for running a racket to cheat BSNL to the tune of several crores of rupees by illegally activating unmentioned ISD facility to local landline numbers.
A Bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir sought an reply from 11 repondents Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices, Vodafone Essar Mobile Services, Cellular Operators Association of India, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, BPL Mobile Communications, HFCL Infotel, and Spice Communications -- as to why they should not pay ADC to BSNL.
Key proposals not feasible for BSNL, says telecom official.
BSNL has just launched a closed user group plan for Other Backward classes (OBCs) in Maharashtra. It has tied up with the Satyashodhak OBC Parishad, a non-political organisation, for a prepaid talk time plan at nominal charges.
The move will require a one-time payment of Rs 4,000-5,000 crore (Rs 40-50 billion), for which DoT would give financial support, a senior official from the latter told Business Standard.
BSNL had disconnected the point of interconnection of Reliance Communications on May 23 and May 31 in Haryana and on May 4 in Punjab claiming non-payment of pending dues by the private telco.
The stay order given by the Delhi high court on the entire process of appointment is still to be vacated.
According to a senior company official, BSNL is in the process of appointing recovery agents on a commission basis to bring back the money.
The recommendations include divestment of 30 per cent government equity in BSNL, reducing the company's workforce by a third, and cancelling the telecom equipment order for 93 million GSM lines, replacing it with network outsourcing deals.
State-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has written to the defence ministry to amend the conditions for floating tenders, including having own manufacturing facility in India, for setting up alternative communications network for defence forces."We have written to the defence ministry for change in tender conditions as some companies have said that the current conditions are very strict," said a senior BSNL official.
The prime minister's directive comes in the wake of telecom minister A Raja seeking his intervention for early resolution of BSNL's tender controversy.
UP is the first state, where Novatium has launched these products.
Barclays further said there is increased momentum in announcements of equity offerings in public sector units, 'which suggests upside risks to our estimate of fiscal divestment proceeds of Rs 25000 crore in the next fiscal,
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances