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.
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.
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.
MTNL plans to provide 15,000 ultra high-speed broadband connections in Delhi and Mumbai.
Regulator has suggested a lower reserve price even in service areas where spectrum was sold in November 2012.
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.
Telecom tower companies likely to invest around Rs 500 crore (Rs 50 billion) to enhance network.
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.
There are nine mobile operators, including the big six that would bid for the 3-4 slots on offer.
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.
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. . .
"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.
'India's fundamentals are a lot better (than those of other emerging market economies).' 'India will suffer (witness a fall in its stock market) what I call the second order effect.' 'And the second order will happen when these funds (belonging to macro and hedge fund investors and which have leveraged Japanese yen-carry trades), because they lose money elsewhere as lot of their positions were financed by borrowing Japanese yen, will have to book profits in investment destinations where they are making money, including in markets like India.' 'They (these investors) will have to effectively sell in countries like India and which is the consequence (the crash in equity markets) that Indian markets might see.'
The youth -- their dreams of government jobs unfulfilled -- are voicing their frustration.
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.
When the actor decided to give Princess Elsa a run for her money.
In a desperate attempt to grab spectrum and start operations in new circles ahead of rivals, leading GSM operators have informed the government that they are willing to start services with less than 4.4 MHz spectrum. Vodafone Essar has intimated its willingness to start operations in new circles where the availability of spectrum is less than 4.4 MHz.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry today said it could not put in place a regulatory framework for mobile TV service as the available spectrum for the service was far below requirement.
Auction of 3G spectrum (air waves) is slated to commence on January 14, but has been plagued by differences between Defence and Telecom Ministries over vacation of spectrum for civilian use.
Sibal said the government will have enough radio waves for all operators after it is released from the defence services as well as the cancellation of 122 2G new licences by the Supreme Court in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
The inter-ministerial battle over spectrum for 3G telecom services has intensified, with the department of telecommunications (DoT) rejecting a claim by the ministry of defence (MoD) that it has not accounted for 10 MHz of spectrum given to DoT at the end of October in the information memorandum (IM). This document provides potential private bidders with details on the auction process slated for January 14, 2010.
Govt is set to garner Rs 1 lakh crore from sale of radiowaves.
The government has set base prices for all the 22 zones at Rs 3,500 crore.
CDMA operators on Tuesday slammed a report of the DOT spectrum committee on airwave allocation, saying it is 'highly inclined' in favour of the GSM operators.
Will help the government expand mobile and broadband penetration in the country
The launch of 5G services in India turbocharged mobile download speeds here, pushing the country's ranking 72 notches higher to 47th spot in Speedtest Global Index, ahead of nations like Japan, the UK and Brazil, according to Ookla. India's speed performance has zoomed up 3.59 times since the introduction of 5G, it said dubbing the country's 5G advancement as "remarkable". In this global pecking order, India ranked not only ahead of its neighbours like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, but also some G20 countries, such as Mexico (90th), Turkey (68th), the UK (62nd), Japan (58th), Brazil (50th place), and South Africa (48th place).
The home minister will also review the preparation for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage set to start on June 29.
However, TDSAT has asked govt to dispose of two representations made by the company on the guidelines.
The govt is expected to achieve the revenue target of Rs 40,000 crore from spectrum sale this fiscal, Telecom Secretary M F Farooqui said.
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TC at its meeting here recommended to an Empowered Group of Ministers that reserve price for pan-India 1800 MHz spectrum be fixed 15 per cent higher than Trai suggested rates.
On being asked if the ongoing spat between the two countries is going to have an impact on the India-Maldives ties, as well the revenue that Indian tourists have generated for the island nation over the years, the Maldivian leader, who was also the former Minister of Economic Development of Maldives, asserted that it is much more than economics or revenue.
The Department of Telecommunications is scheduled to auction 3G spectrum starting January 14.
For 2100-MHz, 2300-MHz and 2500-MHz bands across circles; aim to offer these with 3G and 4G in February
'I think because India is a bigger country and Bollywood is such a well-oiled machine, the star thing has become so much bigger than the actor thing.'
The government has held back allocating additional spectrum to Bharti Airtel in Orissa, in view of the telecom tribunal's recent judgment that GSM operators have no vested right to get airwaves beyond 6.2 MHz.
If accepted, the plan could give the sector Rs 70,000-crore (Rs 700-billion) relief.
Even as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is being criticised for the steep reserve price it has set for 2G spectrum auctions in the 1,800 MHz band, the government may be able to garner only Rs 18,000-20,000 crore (Rs 180-200 billion) in 2012-13, just about half the target of Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion).
