Hours after Vodafone Idea announced that it would increase tariffs from next month to tide over acute financial stress, rival Bharti Airtel announced it would follow suit. The two companies have traditionally kept their prices in sync. The move comes in the wake of an unexpected Supreme Court judgment that directed these companies to shell […]
Ravider Takkar, CEO of telecom operator Vodafone Idea, today said the government has been very supportive of his company’s requests for providing some kind of relief for the telecom sector to help it tide over a liquidity crunch. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that the revenue share payable to the government by telecom […]
Vodafone Idea, one of the top three telecom players in the country, warned that it will be able to continue as ‘a going concern’ only if it is able to obtain relief from the government. Going concern refers to a company that has the ability to continue to operate and does not face the threat […]
State-owned telecom operator Mahanagar Telefone Nigam Ltd or MTNL has released details of the voluntary retirement scheme or VRS that will be available to its employees as part of its merger with BSNL. The company said the VRS has been based on the ‘Gujarat Model’. Under this model, employees will get a sum equal to […]
Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator by volume of traffic carried, has opposed any ‘bailout package’ for Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, claiming that the two companies have enough assets to pay the back taxes and other dues reinstated by the Supreme Court last week. Instead, Reliance Jio said the government should look at implementing […]
An average Airtel Digital customer spent 4.1% more money on their DTH service in July-September period compared to the previous three months, beating back the seasonal effect of the monsoons and indicating that customers may be gradually spending more on their cable and DTH bills. The monsoon season tends to see smaller recharges by prepaid […]
Bharti Airtel, the former No.1 telecom operator in India, has started bouncing off the bottom as far as its operational numbers are concerned. The numbers for the second quarter (July to September 2019) showed that the company has definitely turned the corner, at least far as broader operating numbers and revenue are concerned. However, the […]
Reliance Jio, India’s biggest telecom operator by volumes, has set a short-term target of signing on 3.5 cr (35 mln) subscribers for its fiber internet service by the end of 2020, said a stock analyst, quoting company sources. “Their immediate target is to sign up 20 mln [2 cr] homes in the next 12-15 months,” […]
Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company by shareholding, has restructured its telecom investments and holdings to facilitate its “early monetization”. The oil-to-retail giant said it has decided to set up a new company exclusively for holding the digital business of RJIL — devoid of towers and fiber — and plans to sell stakes in this […]
Telecom services provider Bharti Airtel said it was launching a new ‘start-up accelerator’ program aimed at finding and investing in promising start-ups. The company said the first investment has been made in a blue-collar job-search software from Bengaluru based tech startup Vahan. The size of the investment was not revealed. “Founded in 2016 and backed […]
Reliance Jio, India’s No.1 wireless operator, has unveiled three new plans that come with built in IUC minutes. The three plans are priced at Rs 222, 333 and 444. The 222 plan comes with 1 month (28 day) validity and 1,000 minutes of calling to other networks and 2 GB of data per month. Calls […]
Hathway Cable and Datacom, one of India’s biggest cable feed providers, has again turned profitable, but it also reported an increase of Rs 87 mn in its pay channel costs while subscription revenue increased by only Rs 37 mn. Given that subscription revenue increased only 1% while pay channel costs increased 7%, it is likely […]
Reliance Jio Infocomm, India’s largest telecom operator, said it tied up with Korea-based Samsung Electronics to demonstrate 5G technology at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019, even as rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have sought DoT nod to demo with China-based Huawei. The choice of vendors could turn out to be more crucial in coming […]
In a big boost to Indian space technology and ISRO, Qualcomm, the world’s biggest independent provider of cellphone processors, has agreed to support Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) on some of its chipsets. The move will help these mobile phones use IRNSS-NavIC for pinpointing their location. This will be in addition to the current […]
Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator by revenue, said it has decided to charge 6 paise per minute for calls made to other operators like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea due to TRAI’s decision to possibly continue with the six-paise-per-minute termination charge. TRAI had, two years ago, announced that the ‘termination charge’, paid by one […]
Telecomms provider Bharti Airtel today said that it has been chosen as the strategic Network Solution Partner by Faridabad Smart City Limited (FSCL) to help set up a high-capacity network in Delhi’s satellite town of Faridabad. Airtel, which has its global headquarters not far from Faridabad, will provide “a range of connectivity solutions to build […]
With the final battle over TV channel pricing drawing close, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has decided to side with cable operators and consumer organizations, instead of going with broadcasters and channel owners, despite the Reliance Group’s stake in TV18 Broadcast. The final battle over TV channel pricing is all set to play out at India’s […]
Reliance Jio has upped the ante in its fight for domination of the Indian telecom market, reducing the price of its cheapest ‘semi-smartphone’ to just Rs 699 for the current Diwali season. Unlike its earlier offer of Rs 500 for the JioPhone, the Diwali offer comes without the need to exchange any old phone. Moreover, […]
Sterlite Technologies Ltd said it has acquired UK-based Impact Data Solutions Group at an enterprise value of around 12 million British pounds (Rs 105 cr). Enterprise value includes non-cash costs assumed by the company, including the takeover of any debt that the target company has. The exact cash payout was not revealed, nor was the […]
Even as Vodafone Idea announce big initiatives to expand their network and increase 4G speeds, new data released by telecom regulator TRAI shows that the telco has been left far, far behind by rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio in 4G expansion over the last one year. While both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea started […]
