A day after shocking consumers by increasing plan prices by around 20-40%, Reliance Jio has re-introduced the Rs 149 unlimited plan, but with a shorter validity and lower daily data allowance. The original Rs 149 plan used to offer 1.5 GB of daily data for four weeks (28 days) and was the most affordable monthly […]
On Tuesday night, Reliance Jio — the telecom operator that has made wireless data accessible to crores of Indians for the first time — said it would adopt ‘appropriate increases’ in tariffs over the next few weeks to help generate enough money to fund investments. The comment came in the wake of similar statements by […]
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, […]
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 […]
Bharti Airtel, one of the top three telecom companies in India, said it plans to shut down its 3G network across India over the next six months. “We intend to shut down 3G services by december,” said CEO Gopal Vittal today, speaking to investors. The company has already shut down the 3G network in Kolkata, […]
Air travelers in India will soon be able to enjoy Internet like they do on the ground, after Tatanet Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of NELCO Limited, won an in-flight, maritime connectivity licence from Department of Telecommunications. “The IFMC license will make it possible to have uninterrupted access to voice, data and video services while […]
Customers of Vodafone and Idea networks will notice an improvement in their 4G experience in coming weeks, especially in areas like Mumbai and Delhi, as the company starts deploying massive amounts of cash to improve the networks in such areas. The network improvement will be done via several methods — by deploying extra spectrum, technological […]
Vodafone Idea, India’s No.1 telecom operator by subscribers and revenue, said it will increase its 4G network capacity by 50% in four months, largely by redeploying existing 4G equipment to avoid duplication. The move would also increase the coverage of Vodafone Idea’s 4G signals by about 30% compared to the present. “We are looking at […]
Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, has seen its data traffic double to 2.6 billion GBs per month this September from 1.3 billion GBs a year ago, according to the company’s quarterly update. Surprisingly, the 100% growth in data consumption has outpaced the 83% jump in subscribers. Analysts and observers had expected the company’s data consumption […]
Bharti Airtel said it has deployed an extra block of spectrum to its 4G service in Uttar Pradesh East circle, improving the carrying capacity of the network. “The addition of fresh 5 MHz spectrum will significantly boost Airtel’s mobile network capacity across UP (East) and enable a superior 4G data and voice experience for customers […]
Idea Cellular CEO Himanshu Kapania said his company has placed the order for radio equipment that will increase the company’s 4G capacity significantly in eight crucial circles as part of a massive network upgrade process for Vodafone Idea. “We have placed the order for TDD in both 2300 and 2500 MHz in eight circles… A large […]
Bharti Airtel said it expects prices in India’s telecom sector to start climbing again in around six months or so, and indicated it has no stomach for further price competition with newcomer Reliance Jio. The comments by company officials come a few months after Reliance Jio slashed its 4G prices citing actions from rivals such […]
Bharti Airtel said it will increase the number of its telecom network sites in Tamil Nadu by 30% this year, while expanding its fiber network in the state by 21%. It said it will add 12,000 new mobile sites, taking the total to 52,000 by March The fiber capacity will be increased to 17,000 km […]
Newly launched telecom operator Reliance Jio has overtaken market leader Bharti Airtel as the company with the largest telecom network in India. As of March 1, Reliance Jio had 4.48 lakh telecom base stations (towers) in India, compared to 4.31 lakh base stations for Bharti Airtel. At the same time, Idea Cellular had 2.79 lakh […]
4G operator Bharti Airtel was clearly ahead of market leader Reliance Jio and challenger Idea Cellular in on-the-ground 4G speed tests conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in ten cities in India this year. According to the data from these tests, Bharti Airtel scored an average download speed of 9.46 Mbps, 44% faster […]
Under an onslaught of cheap wireless internet devices from Reliance Jio, Indian brands such as iBall, Intex and Micromax have virtually exited the data dongle market, while the once dominant Huawei has been reduced to a 7% share, according to CMR. For the whole of 2017, all the top five models of datacards belonged to […]
The government of India “has developed” a plan to improve Internet connectivity in Lakshadweep Islands, communications minister Manoj Sinha said today. Lakshadweep Islands, home to about 70,000 people, are currently connected by satellite, which restricts the bandwidth and increases the cost of connectivity. The move follows the approval given to a Rs 1,100 cr project […]
The Telecom Commission, the top bureaucratic decision making body within the communications ministry, has approved a Rs 7,330 cr project to set up an additional 4,072 mobile towers in left-wing extremism affected areas, telecom minister Manoj Sinha said today. The project will be a follow-up the first phase, when BSNL set up 2,329 towers in […]
After advising restraint in the fight with new operator Reliance Jio, it seems to be the turn of Idea Cellular and its partner Vodafone to slash prices. Both operators have cut the price of the cheapest unlimited voice and data pack to the Rs 150 range from Rs 200 range, bringing them into direct competition […]
International credit rating agency Fitch said it revised its outlook on the Indian telecom sector to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ and sees the sector returning to revenue growth in 2018. “We expect gradual price discipline in India’s telecoms sector to drive a mid-single-digit revenue recovery in 2018, following 2017’s falls,” the firm said in the context […]
