India Telecom News

‘Telecom ministry not bound to follow regulator’s advice on policy issues’

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:25:36 +0000

The telecom ministry is not duty-bound to follow the industry regulator’s advice on policy issues, the solicitor general has said, fuelling concerns that roles of regulators are increasingly getting diluted under this government.

Solicitor general Gopal Subramanium has said the ministry can change the terms and conditions of existing licences and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) recommendations are not binding on the government. The opinion comes after the department of telecommunications sought a legal view following the regulator’s letter that it must be consulted on uniform licence fee. Source

India Plans to Introduce IPv6 by 2012

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:24:28 +0000

India will start using IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) from March 2012, according to a new roadmap released by the Indian government.

All telecom and ISPs will have to be IPv6-compliant by the end of next year and offer IPv6 services thereafter, the government said in a statement issued on Wednesday by the country’s Press Information Bureau. Source

DTH players told to offer pay channels on la carte basis

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:23:32 +0000

Television subscribers of digital platforms such as DTH and IPTV will soon be able to pick and choose the pay channels they want to watch.

This is because the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has issued a new tariff order that mandates service providers on digital platforms to offer pay channels on a-la-carte or individual basis, latest by January 2011. Source

Poor telecom network in NE a concern

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:21:10 +0000

The Northeastern states are plagued by low tele-density and inadequate telecom services, hindering economic growth and development, a study said. “In addition to the low tele-density, the quality of services in the region is also a matter of concern. The telecom network is inadequate to handle the traffic resulting in repeated congestion, a statement by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India (ASSOCHAM) quoting the study said on Thursday. Source

Telenor: Mobile market not getting tougher

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:12:44 +0000

Norway’s Telenor said mobile price competition in India has not become more intense since it launched operations there late last year and affirmed its ongoing push for market share above margins.

Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas told Reuters in an interview that Telenor would keep its present push to win market share and customer loyalty in India until at least the start of 2012, before switching focus to margins. Source

High-speed net subscribers to touch 275 mn in India by 2015

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:05:42 +0000

The number of high-speed Internet users is likely to touch 275 million from nine million by 2015, as telecom firms roll out Broadband Wireless Acess (BWA) air waves that were auctioned in June, a study said.

“Recent broadband wireless auctions, in which operators were allocated spectrum, come as a much-needed respite for the future of broadband adoption in India,” the study by Assocham and Frost & Sullivan said. Source

India needs to allocate more spectrum for digital dividend

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:02:56 +0000

India needs to allocate more spectrum to achieve its target of 100 million broadband subscribers by 2014, Robindhra Mangtani, senior director of GSM Associations, said today. GSM Associations is an organisation of global mobile communications (GSM) operators. “To achieve the target of 100 million
we need to allocate more spectrum. We have been talking about digital dividend spectrum which is in 698 to 806 megahertz,” said Mangtani. Source

Telcos add 59 mn users in Jan-Mar

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:57:44 +0000

Telecom operators added over 59 million new subscribers in the January-March quarter this year, but witnessed an over 8 per cent decline in average revenue per user.

The total number of mobile subscribers in the country stood at 621.28 million at the end of March, 2010. Source

BSNL, MTNL may delay number portability

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:55:06 +0000

There are growing signs that the implementation of mobile number portability may miss its freshly set October 31 deadline, this time because government-run firms BSNL and MTNL are unprepared.

Telecom regulator Trai has written to DoT saying, “the Authority is apprehensive that unless DoT, which is the administrative department for these PSUs, takes a firm commitment from them, their lack of action will continue to result in further delay in the implementation of MNP.” Source

Indian Mobile users to touch 993 million by 2014

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:34:00 +0000

The country’s mobile subscriber base is expected to touch 993 million by 2014, led by the rural market, according to research firm Gartner. Gartner expects the world’s fastest-growing mobile market to close this year with over 660 million subscribers, it said in a statement.

“The arrival of new players in the Indian mobile sector has led to fierce competition, which has sustained the strong subscriber growth seen in 2009,” Gartner Senior Research Analyst Neha Gupta said. Source