The National Security Strategy document should flag all major issues concerning security strategy and provide guidelines to concerned departments to work out suitable action plans. Since the global and regional geopolitical canvas is dynamic, the NSS document should be deliberated at length before formulation and should be reviewed periodically, recommends Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Telcos likely to get to switch from 2,300-MHz band for 4G services.
High spectrum charges would lead to rise in mobile services rates and adversely impact government's Digital India initiative by impeding telecom network expansion.
The cost of deposits is on the rise, but banks can't raise interest rate on close to 60% of their loan books, points out Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Finding a solution to the spectrum allocation issue will be the main challenge before A Raja, country's new communications minister, who has replaced Dayanadhi Maran.
The government is scheduled to borrow Rs 4.57 lakh crore (Rs 4.57 trillion) from markets this fiscal and it maintains that this level of debt would be raised.
Income will be higher as spectrum in 2,100-MHz band will also be auctioned
The government on Friday said successful bidders for BWA spectrum -- including Infotel, which was acquired by Mukesh Ambani-led RIL -- will get the frequency next week, paving the way for subscribers to get mobile broadband services by the end of this year.
In the petition filed with O P Saini, judge, Patiala House Courts, the NGO stated the investigation agency had carried out improper investigation and exonerated private individuals, including the chairman and managing director of an accused telecom company in a malafide manner.
A memorandum of understanding between the defence and telecom ministries for vacation of spectrum was signed two years ago.
Rationalisation of reserve prices in the ongoing spectrum auction helped the government to get Rs 40,000 crore of bids on the opening day.
Qualcomm has possible intentions of hoarding spectrum should it win the spectrum in the forthcoming auction, Wimax Forum chairman C S Rao said.
The Cabinet on Thursday approved a 30 per cent cut in the reserve price for sale of mobile phone spectrum in four zones that went unsold in the recent damp-squib auction.
Addressing an event in New Delhi, Gen Pande also said the recent global developments have underscored that the security of the nation can neither be outsourced nor be dependent on the largesse of others.
Sources at the department of telecommunications confirmed that Bharti Airtel has submitted application to bid for airwaves frequencies at pan-India level.
'They will try more rounds of military level talks and move it to the diplomatic and political domain to see if there is a possibility of a solution -- and like the CDS said if that does not happen, we are prepared.'
The Bill allows stopping of transmission and intercepting messages in case of public emergency, in the interest of the public, to prevent incitement for committing offence.
Demanding a level playing field for the old operators, Bharti group chief Sunil Mittal told PTI: 'our view is that the spectrum given to us and other operators from time to time is under a policy and there is no question of any additional payment for this.'
Two years after having allotted third-generation (3G) spectrum without any contest to its own telecom companies, on the promise that they'd match the prices later paid by private sector winners of the auction for it, the communications ministry now wants them to get it for free.
According to sources, as per the new schedule given by the agency which will operate the auction process, the bidding for the airwaves can be started only by early November.
From setting up cutting-edge facilities to cater to the domestic market and building capabilities of global standards, the action is building up.
Better than projected revenues from the spectrum auction for 3G services and Broadband Wireless Access is likely to reduce the Centre's fiscal deficit to 4.47 per cent of the GDP during 2010-11 from an estimated 5.5 per cent and curtail its huge borrowings.
Leading telecom players like RCom, Tatas, Vodafone and Idea Cellular failed to bag a single circle for Broadband services, saying the BWA spectrum price was too high to make a viable business case.
The author examines whether government levies on these critical inputs are beneficial or detrimental.
Telcos may hike mobile rates to recover spectrum cost: Moody's
Terming the charges with regard to allocation of spectrum in 2008 against him as baseless, Telecom Minister A Raja on Monday said the allegations in no way have affected the day-to-day work.
After Tata group chief Ratan Tata criticised the spectrum allocation criteria announced by the government, GSM cellular operators on Tuesday took potshots at the guidelines, which they said was 'lenient' towards CDMA operators.
Indian mobile phone users will have to pay more if the service providers are charged for spectrum, which was earlier given free to the operators, chairman of the country's largest telecom company Bharti Airtel Sunil Mittal has said.
MTNL plans to provide 15,000 ultra high-speed broadband connections in Delhi and Mumbai.
Dr Ipshita Johri explains how you can keep your skin healthy in the rainy season.
Debt-saddled telecom operator Vodafone Idea Ltd's Rs 18,000 crore follow-on offering (FPO) opened to a modest response on Thursday with just 26 per cent of shares on offer being sought by investors. Of the 1,260 crore shares on offer, 331.24 crore was subscribed on Thursday, according to information on the BSE. Qualified institutional buyers picked up 61 per cent of their 360 crore shares reserved for them while non-institutional investors sought 28 per cent out of 270 crore shares earmarked for them.
Regulator has suggested a lower reserve price even in service areas where spectrum was sold in November 2012.
In a reversal of its earlier stance on 3G, the Cellular Operators' Association of India has told Telecom Secretary D S Mathur that the release of 3G spectrum should be delayed till it is available for all operators.
There are nine mobile operators, including the big six that would bid for the 3-4 slots on offer.
Telecom tower companies likely to invest around Rs 500 crore (Rs 50 billion) to enhance network.
"There is no contractual agreement to give spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz. We are releasing more spectrum based on subscriber base as suggested by telecom regulator Trai," Raja said in the House while replying to a question. Spectrum is radio frequency used for offering wireless telecom services. Currently, spectrum allocation norms, which were revised in August 2007, are being followed while the Teleconm Enginering Centre report is awaited.
Vodafone, one of the largest GSM operators, had said that service providers like itself and "Bharti pay the highest spectrum charges per MHz to department of telecommunications compared to others. . .
The final minimum price of Rs 14,000 crore (Rs 140 billion) for 1800 Mhz band and Rs 18,200 crore for 800 Mhz was decided by government based on initial recommendation made by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
Debt mutual fund (MF) schemes, which witnessed relatively muted inflows in the past three years, saw a surge in investor interest in April amid election-induced volatility in the equity markets. Active debt funds garnered nearly Rs 66,000 crore net inflows in April, most at least since December 2020.
The cellular operators on Thursday asked the government to release higher spectrum for better mobile telephony, while Trai said it was studying the sector's demands since the efficient use of current spectrum must also be looked into.
