Some 74 applications for these licences for mobile services are pending with the Department of Telecom.
The books of these companies had come under a cloud after it was alleged that many of them had not been paying the goverment's share of revenue by showing the revenue earned under other categories. Under a suggestion of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, a special audit of all the integrated telecom companies will be undertaken once in 3-5 years.
The Department of Telecommunications' restriction on this service flies in the face of both policy precedents and market logic.
To speed up the vacation of additional 2G and 3G telecom spectrum, the government will likely make a Rs 5,000-crore (Rs 50 billion) provision in the Budget for an alternative network for defence services. The spectrum released in lieu of that would increase the availability for civilian use.
It also issued notice to the Centre and the IT department on Vodafone's plea.
Telecom Minister A Raja said on Wednesday that the government is considering number portability in the mobile sector.
The fast growing telecom sector is set to witness another round of mergers and acquisitions with the DoT recommending against lock-in of promoters equity, saying this would only hamper growth and competition.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the loss of lives in Uttarakhand and noted that rescue operations are underway to help the affected.
The Cabinet is believed to have asked the Department of Telecom to examine imposing a Swachch Bharat cess on spectrum charges paid annually by service providers.
In order to popularise the social security schemes for the unorganised sector, a Committee on Tuesday suggested PFRDA access the postal department's network and enter into tie ups with mobile phone operators who have vast reach.
Denial of interconnection "appears to be with ulterior motive to stifle competition and is anti consumer", Trai said.
It is believed that apart from Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel, there are four players that have made a bid.
You telephone bills will become cheaper if the finance minister P Chidambaram heeds to the telecom operators' demand for a reduction in levies.
The government may relax the Telecom Engineering Centre's recently finalised spectrum allocation criterion, the minimum subscriber limits that entitle mobile service operators to additional spectrum, radio frequencies that enable mobile communications.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed to simplify the country's telecom landscape. It has suggested one tariff for each licence holder across the country, all-India mobile number portability and doing away with roaming charges.
Recommendations may encourage consolidation.
The third chargesheet was scheduled to come out by the first week of July.
India's stand is important against the backdrop of US FCC's decision to roll back its net neutrality rules adopted in 2015
Spectrum was sold at about 68 per cent premium.
Access spectrum is airwaves used for transmitting wireless signals on mobile devices from mobile towers.
The telecom regulator had suggested imposition of a price on operators for holding spectrum beyond the contracted limit of 6.2MHz.
The power infrastructure and the farm sector have also suffered a considerable damage, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said. However officials said the telecom infrastructure is largely intact.
FIPB panel to meet today, discuss telecom investments.
Officials of Reliance Jio Infocomm claimed to have achieved broadband speeds on their networks that are 10-12 times faster than 3G services.
In India, there are 22 services area, or circles, for 2G telecom services and both the companies operate in all the circles.
An Income Tax department team will fly down from Chennai on Wednesday to question former telecom minister A Raja in Tihar jail, for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The department of telecom has asked operators to list out the priority areas, where policies are pending, for placing before the new government as a consensus agenda for the first 100 days.
The Finance Ministry had written twice to the DoT to immediately auction wireless broadband spectrum.
In a bid to promote competition in resale of bandwidth, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in its recommendations submitted to Department of Telecom has favoured not fixing any ceiling on the number of players in the segment.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday said it had seized "incriminating" documents during searches at 14 places, including former telecom minister A Raja's residence, in connection with its probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
Delhi High Court quashes reassessment proceedings by Income Tax department.
Over 20 years, connectivity has massively expanded. But 50,000 villages have been left behind.
A panel headed by Economic Affairs secretary Arvind Mayaram had suggested FDI limit be raised to 49 per cent in almost all sectors through the automatic route.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday apprised a Delhi court of its ongoing probe into the 2G spectrum scam following a direction on a private complaint filed by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy for trial of former Telecom Minister A Raja for his alleged role in the case.
Ringing Bells has said the manufacturing cost of the phone is about Rs 2,500.
