Jio Effect: Aircel slashes 3G rates; Will others follow?

Back in 2011, when 3G services were starting to be launched, there would be new announcements every three or four weeks from each operator on new tariff plans. Some would offer ‘free 3G’ along with voice recharge, some would offer combo plans, some heavy usage plans such as 10 GB for Rs 999 and so […]

Bharti Airtel plans to overtake Reliance Jio’s network in next 3 years

To counter the tremendous threat posed by Reliance Jio, the biggest telecom company in India Bharti Airtel has launched a massive network transformation program called Project Leap. “Aimed at perceptibly improving network quality and delivering the best customer experience, this strategic project will see an investment of Rs. 60,000 crore in the next 3 years,” […]

Sunil Mittal takes a Rs 5 Cr pay cut to help under-trials

Bharti Enterprises is rolling out a first of its kind corporate initiative to provide legal assistance & aid and awareness and literacy to underprivileged undertrials across the country and will help the undertrials by paying the bail and surety amounts in exceptional cases. Bharti Airtel will provide an annual grant of Rs.10 Crores on an ongoing basis towards this initiative. Sunil Bharti […]

Idea buys Videocon Telecom spectrum in Gujarat and UP West for 4G launch

Idea Cellular Ltd has become the first operator in India to buy spectrum under recently unveiled trading guidelines. The company said it has agreed with Videocon Telecommunications Limited for acquiring right to use spectrum under govt guidelines dated October 12, 2015, for the areas of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). “This agreement for Idea’s two […]

Reliance Jio to launch 4G in Jan-March; Airtel, Vodafone, Idea may offer discounts – Fitch

Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Industries, is likely to launch its 4G services any time from January to March next year, and will pose a credible challenge to incumbents, driving out weaker operators, Fitch Ratings said. “Jio’s product is likely to gain traction – given the intention to launch an integrated […]

GSAT-15 could boost Sun Direct, Tata Sky’s HD channels

Today’s launch of GSAT-15 communication satellite over India will be a big boost to DTH operations over the country, especially for HD channels, and will benefit players like Sun Direct and Dish TV. The launch will more than double the DTH capacity of India-owned satellites over the country. Though India gets a higher level of preference […]

Reliance Jio starts testing 4G service in Kerala

Reliance Jio has started testing its network in Kerala in cities like Thrissur, according to industry sources, and is only days away from completing its infrastructure work in most places in the state. An employee of the company was able to demonstrate decent 4G speeds using a phone made by LG Electronics. The operator will give more handsets […]

Spectrum trading – Aircel planning to sell its spectrum in circles like Kerala, Punjab etc?

With spectrum trading rules promulgated, all eyes are on two key players — Aircel Cellular and Tata Teleservices — wondering whether they will sell coveted 3G and 4G spectrum held with them. Operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular are known to be keen to buy spectrum from these operators. Adding fuel to speculation […]

Spectrum Trading norms to lead to exits — Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Reliance Jio seen winning

Spectrum trading is likely to lead to consolidation in the Indian telecom industry and four telecom operators — Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Reliance Jio — are likely to emerge the winners — analysts said. “The industry could see emergence of four pan-India players (Bharti Airtel Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Idea Cellular Ltd and […]

Spectrum Trading Guidelines – Tata, Aircel, RCom to be major beneficiaries in India

The Indian government today implemented perhaps the most awaited reform in the telecom sector in recent years — spectrum trading. Trading will be allowed for all spectrum acquired through auctions or for which ‘market rates’ have been paid. Largely as expected, the norms however have hit MTS — owned by Russia’s Sistema — badly as […]

Idea, Airtel & Vodafone slash 3G rates ahead of Reliance Jio launch via promotions, Tata DoCoMo expands

Idea Cellular, Vodafone India and Bharti Airtel are known to have started offering aggressive discounts on their 3G plans to their customers via promotional offers and SMSes ahead of Reliance Jio’s launch. All three are already offering 1 GB of 3G data for Rs 149 as opposed to Rs 249 earlier. However, the discounts don’t […]

DoT rule may keep spectrum swapping out of reach of certain operators

The Department of Telecom is unlikely to allow all telecom operators to conduct spectrum swapping, and permit only those players who hold only auctioned spectrum to do so. This move is likely to severely restrict the benefits and applicability of spectrum swapping as ‘subsidized spectrum’ allocated in earlier years is lying co-mingled with newer auctioned […]

TRAI says new rules won’t increase cable, DTH bill, or hurt LCOs

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has dismissed the “fabrications and concoctions” being circulated on social media about the new tariff rules that will come into effect on December 29. In a statement, the regulator countered two broad concerns on the upcoming tariff scheme — that consumers will have to pay far more to watch their […]