IndiaRSS

“We will do everything we can to stay in India,” says Telenor

Telenor wants to stay in India, despite having its 2G licences revoked

Nordic operator group Telenor has said that it will do what it can to keep Indian subsidiary Uninor operating in the country. Last week, the Supreme Court of India cancelled 122 telecoms licences that were awarded in a 2008 spectrum sale, citing corruption in the sales process of the licences.

Indian court cancels 122 mobile licences

India's Supreme Court orders the country's 2G licences to be scrapped and re-auctioned

The Supreme Court of India has cancelled 122 telecoms licences that were awarded in the country’s 2G auction. The country sold its 2G spectrum licences in 2008 on a first-come, first-served basis. However, it emerged that they were sold unlawfully, with former cabinet minister Andimuthu Raja currently in jail awaiting trial for his role in the scandal. As a result, it is estimated that the country lost around $40bn in lost revenue by not auctioning the licences.

India makes government services mobile-friendly

The DoIT wants to make government services more accessible to the public

The Indian government has announced plans for all of its departments and agencies to develop and deploy mobile applications to provide all of their public services through mobile devices, to the extent that is feasible on the mobile platform.

Indian operators told to end roaming agreement

India's telecoms authorities want operators to end their roaming pact

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will order Bharti Airtel, Idea, Vodafone to end their roaming pact, according to media reports in the country. The three operators had entered into an agreement with one another to offer 3G mobile services in circles, or districts, where they failed to acquire spectrum in the country’s auction when it was held last year.

Telstra expands into Singapore and Japan

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Australian operator Telstra has secured new operating licences in Singapore and Japan, allowing the firm to extend its reach in Asia. The company will deliver services directly to customers in both markets, rather than teaming up with local partners, as its newly acquired licences allow the carrier to own infrastructure facilities in each of the countries.

India to relax telecom M&A rules

Under the new proposals, carriers in India will now be allowed a maximum subscriber market share of 60 per cent in each of India’s 22 circles, up from the previous threshold of 35 per cent

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has submitted new guidelines to the Department of Telecoms (DoT), which, if approved, will relax the rules surrounding mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in India’s telecoms market. Under the new proposals, carriers in India will now be allowed a maximum subscriber market share of 60 per cent in each of India’s 22 circles, up from the previous threshold of 35 per cent.

BSNL restores connectivity in Punjab

BSNL has now reconnected services in Punjab

Indian state-owned telco BSNL has restored its services in the Indian state of Punjab after nearly a month of disruption, according to local reports.

BSNL cuts off mobile access over debt dispute

BSNL is locked in disputes with operators and has refused to comply with telecoms authorities

Indian state-owned telco BSNL still has not restored all points of interconnections, despite a clear direction from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), according to reports in the country. Earlier this month, BSNL cut off connectivity to Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular numbers in several states, over a dispute regarding non-payment of fees for providing interconnection between fixed lines and mobiles. BSNL is claiming that it is owed $550,000 by the three operators.

BSNL wants to return spectrum while Qualcomm gets broadband licences

Indian's BSNL wants a refund for spectrum after making heavy losses

India’s state-owned operator BSNL has offered to hand back its Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum for 17 states to the government , and is seeking a $1.67bn refund. The firm wants to hand spectrum back to the goevrnment after having made a loss of $1.2bn over the past 12 months, primarily due to high staff cost and payments made for acquiring 3G and BWA spectrum.

India unveils draft telecoms policy

India unvelis a new, transparent telecoms poicy to address intense competition and counteract corruption

India has unveiled its new draft telecoms policy which will let mobile operators share airwaves, and allow for consolidation of firms. The Indian telecoms industry has been suffering due to intense competition – there are 15 operators for a market with 850 million users whereas China has a larger market and just three operators.