Bharti Airtel gets Rs 1,004 cr from Jio for CDMA spectrum

Bharti Airtel said it has closed its deal to transfer CDMA spectrum to Reliance Jio Infocomm and received the money. “Airtel has received Rs. 1004.8 crores (net of tax) from Jio for the proposed transfer. In addition, Jio will assume future liabilities of Rs. 469.3 crores relating to the spectrum,” the Gurgaon-based company said. The […]

BSNL 4G expansion to take time as equipment order not given yet

BSNL subscribers waiting for faster wireless connectivity may have to wait for a year or more, as the government today clarified that the state-owned telecom operator has not given orders for 4G equipment for its much-delayed network expansion. Nearly 11 years after 3G and 4G spectrum was first handed over to the company, BSNL is […]

Reliance Jio 4G speeds to increase as co spends 57k cr on spectrum

Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, increased its spectrum holding by 55% after it spent over Rs 57,000 cr in the just concluded auction, and will seen an increase in its 4G speeds in coming days. The company emerged as the biggest spender in the auction, and has reportedly purchased spectrum worth nearly twice the […]

Vodafone Idea tests revolutionary approach to network deployment

Vodafone Idea, the country’s third largest mobile operator, has started deploying a revolutionary new approach to creating its cellular network, but has also encountered several challenges in doing so. The company is experimenting with the so-called ‘open radio access network’ or Open RAN technology, which is a break from the traditional one-box technology promoted by […]

COVID 19 trips Bharti Airtel’s user growth, pricing pressure seen

Despite the extreme disruption caused by the COVID-19, Bharti Airtel reported a decent set of numbers for the Apr-Jun period, though the pandemic clearly slowed down the growth of Airtel’s 4G service and exerted pressure on realizations. PANDEMIC FREEZE While the company has been reporting strong increases in the number of 4G users in recent […]

TRAI Data shows how far behind Vodafone Idea is in 4G deployment

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 […]

Govt exploring legal options on getting back RCom spectrum

The government of India is exploring legal options to see if it can get back the spectrum assigned to bankrupt telecom operator Reliance Communications, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications has three types of spectrum — GSM spectrum in the 1800 MHz band that it got along with its license, spectrum […]

10 cr people watch Hotstar on India-Pak match day

Hotstar, India’s largest premium streaming platform, said 15.6 million (1.6 cr) people used its video streaming app at the same time on June 16, when India played Pakistan in the ICC World Cup in England. In all, 10 cr people logged into the service some time during that day. This is a record for the […]

Vodafone Idea users to get faster 4G this year

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 […]

Airtel becomes first operator to launch 4G in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Bharti Airtel said it has become the first telecom operator to launch 4G services in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “Airtel’s 4G services will enable local residents to enjoy digital services like HD quality video streaming, superfast downloads and uploads, high speeds internet browsing on Airtel’s state-of-the-art FDD 4G network,” the company said. Andaman and Nicobar […]

Merger over, Vodafone Idea to boost 4G capacity by 50% in 4 months

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 to buy $1 bln worth of goods from Samsung, Ace Tech

Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom subsidiary of Reliance Industries, said it will take a loan of $1 bln from Korea Trade Insurance Corporation to purchase goods from Korean companies Samsung and Ace Technologies. “The Facility is K-SURE’s largest deal in India as well as the largest deal supported by K-SURE in the telecom sector globally,” […]

Airtel, Vodafone beat Reliance Jio in on-the-ground 4G speed tests

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 […]