Telecom

Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries Ltd, will buy communications equipment maker Mimosa Networks for USD 60 million as it looks to bolster its 5G telecom and broadband services.

A ramp up in postpaid subscribers and 5G-powered premiumisation are expected to drive growth for India’s No. 2 telecom company Bharti Airtel, especially at a time when tariff hikes have not rolled in as expected. Airtel’s continued expansion of 5G services across the country is expected to drive up data usage, leading to premiumisation.

India’s second largest telecom company Bharti Airtel reported a 91% year-on-year (YoY) rise in its Q3 net profit to ₹1,588 crore, but still significantly lower than the average analyst estimates of ₹2,673 crore. On a sequential basis, however, the telco reported a 26% decline in its net profit. Airtel’s revenue came in slightly higher than analyst estimates of ₹35,299 crore during the quarter. The telco reported a 20% YoY growth in its revenue to ₹35,804 crore, beating analyst estimates by a thin margin.

Bharti Airtel on Monday said that it has crossed 10 million unique customers on its 5G network.

After the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) slammed it for raising the 'revenue sharing' demand for telecom service providers (TSPs), the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) on Monday said the telcos' demand for reasonable 'usage charge' from OTT providers is fair and rational.

Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Wednesday hailed the government's step to raise the minimum speed of broadband to 2Mbps from 512Kbps, which is a 400 per cent increase. However, it stressed that this is not enough for a 'mobile first' country.

There is a broad consensus amongst both telecom companies’ management and analysts that the sector needs another round of tariff hikes, but telcos seem shy of blinking first this time around amidst a rise in subscriber churn. However, for now, Airtel and Jio are focusing on expanding the availability of their 5G networks and getting users hooked onto the higher data speeds before hiking tariffs.

As 5G roll-out picks up speed thanks to Reliance Jio and Airtel, India climbed 10 spots for median mobile speeds globally in the month of January, from 79th position in December to 69th, a report said on Monday.

In December 2022, Reliance Jio and Airtel reported an increase in subscribers, while Vodafone Idea reported a decline. There has been a significant increase in active subscribers of Airtel and Jio, while Vi continues to lose subscribers. Jio now has 391 million active subscribers, followed by Airtel’s 365 million active subscribers. Vi’s trouble continues as it loses 2.47 million subscribers.

Alarmed at the rising pesky mobile calls and text messages by telemarketers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday directed all telecom service providers to reverify registered headers and message templates on distributed ledger technologies (DLT) platform and block all unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days, respectively.

Vodafone Idea’s troubles continue to worsen as its net loss widened to ₹7,990 crore in Q3, both on a year-on-year and sequential comparison. It was also higher than analyst estimates, albeit marginally. The telco reported a net loss of ₹7,596 crore in Q2, and ₹7,231 crore in Q3 last year.

Vodafone Idea’s shares zoomed by 25% on Monday hitting an upper circuit, after the government agreed to convert interest dues worth ₹16,133 crore into equity. The move breathed a fresh lease of life into the telco’s attempts to raise funds to make payments to vendors and sign contracts with telecom equipment makers and roll out its 5G network. The share price of the troubled telco is back to its December 2022 levels, erasing the losses it saw this year, so far.

Sunil Mittal-led telecom operator Airtel has announced a price hike, increasing the cost of its minimum recharge plan by nearly 57%, a huge increase in a single go. The company has increased the price of its minimum recharge plan from ₹99 to ₹155, a hike of ₹56. The Airtel’s ₹155 plan is not only costlier, it also offers reduced validity.

Warning against the vulnerabilities of the high-speed 5G telecom network, papers submitted at a key security meet have noted that it can provide an excellent platform for middlemen and agents for creating linkages for crimes such as drug trafficking, human and organ trafficking, money laundering and terror financing.

Reliance Jio introduced a new recharge plan for its prepaid users, priced at ₹899 and ₹349. These newly added plans offer unlimited calling, 100 SMS per day, and a 2.5GB daily data limit for users who seek high internet speed for streaming, browsing, gaming, and more. However, Airtel users don’t have to feel fear of missing out. Reliance Jio’s rival offers a range of prepaid recharge plans that offer a 2.5GB daily data limit, unlimited calling, and some added benefits.

Reliance Jio reported a 3.2% growth in net profit sequentially to ₹4,881 crore in its Q3 FY23 earnings. Its revenue from ope...

Data adoption and tariff hike-led revenue growth as well as 5G rollouts are key monitorables for 2023 which will also be a d...

Reliance Jio has launched its first 5G data pack for users who are not eligible for the Jio 5G Welcome offer....

Telecommunications companies in India are expected to report moderate revenue growth in the third quarter of 2019. The slowdown in 4G subscriber additions and lack of tariff hikes is expected to slow down revenue growth. Analysts suggest that the much expected tariff hikes will be the “key trigger” going forward.

Jio in a statement said the launch strengthens Jio True 5G coverage in Madhya Pradesh, close to the unveiling of coveted events like Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Invest MP - Global Investor Summit at Indore. With it, Reliance Jio said it became the first and the only operator in Madhya Pradesh to launch 5G services across all large cities of Madhya Pradesh including Bhopal and Indore.

Reliance Jio went down in some parts of India on Wednesday as users reported facing issues with the network.

The telecom industry in India has reported a decline in total subscribers, with only one telco, Reliance Jio, reporting an increase in active subscribers. Jio continues to occupy the top spot in total and active subscribers, according to TRAI data. Airtel has also reported an increase in gross subscribers, but the telco has reported a decrease in its active subscribers.