IndiaRSS

Bharti acquires 49 per cent share of Qualcomm’s India unit at cut-price

Bharti acquires 49 per cent stake in Qualcomm's India unit for a mere $165m

India’s Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with chipmaker Qualcomm to acquire 49 per cent of its Indian BWA entities. Qualcomm acquired the wireless broadband service permits in India for four states in the country in 2010 for $1bn. The purchase was made in a deliberate bid to block the progress of WiMAX as an alternative 4G technology in the country, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said at the time. Now, it has sold the 49 per cent stake to Bharti for a mere $165m.

Augere Wireless to quit India

WiMAX player Augere Wireless is reported to be exiting the Indian market

Sanjiv Ahuja’s emerging markets project, Augere Wireless is set to exit the Indian market due to regulatory uncertainty. The WiMAX firm will sell the 4G spectrum licences it holds in the two states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, according to local reports.

Low-cost tablet for schools in India put on hold

The Ubislate device from DataWind was due to be sold at $35, targeted at Indian students

A government-sponsored project in India to manufacture and distribute low-cost Android-based tablet devices to schools and universities in the country has been put on hold amid legal battles over production of the device, according to local reports.

India’s TRAI sets hefty price tag for 2G spectrum

Spectrum prices for India's 2G sale will be almost 10-times higher than 2008's prices

India’s telecoms regulator, the TRAI, has proposed hefty reserve prices for the 2G spectrum blocks, due to be auctioned for a second time, later this year.

Operators told to reinstate Indian services until cancellation date

India's regulator has told operators to continue offering services until the official cancellation date

Despite already having closed their services in India, announcing that they will cease doing business in the country and notifying their subscribers to move to a different network, operators S Tel and Etisalat have been told by India’s telecoms regulator that they must continue offering services until the license cancellation date. Loop Telecom has also announced that it will be exiting the market but must continue offering services until June 2, 2012.

Bharti Airtel launches LTE in India

Bharti Airtel launches LTE in India through dongles provided by ZTE

Indian carrier Bharti Airtel said that it has launched the country’s first LTE service, in Kolkata. However, due to a shortage of LTE devices in the Indian market, subscribers will initially only be able to access the network through dongles.

India’s Supreme Court turns down 2G cancellation appeal

India issues new draft regulations for spectrum allocation

India’s Supreme Court turns down 2G cancellation appeal

Indian broadband connections hit 13 million

India now has 13 million broadband connections but wants 175 million by 2017

India now has over 13 million broadband connections, according to a report in the Times of India. The Indian minister of communication and IT, Sachin Pilot said that the country now has 13.35 million connections, with the largest number of these in the state of Maharashtra.

We need a $50 tablet says Bharti Airtel chairman

Sunil Mittal of Bharti Airtel wants US$50 devices for developing markets

Sunil Mittal, chairman and MD of Bharti Airtel said that India and Africa need a $50 tablet in order to spur adoption of mobile technologies. Speaking at a conference session at MWC, Mittal called on the industry to focus on bringing the cost of smartphones and tablets down to those of feature phones.

Etisalat exits India

airplane

UAE operator Etisalat has confirmed that it will exit the Indian market, marking yet another foreign investor departure in the wake of the 2G spectrum licensing scandal.