Category: Broadband

Rural India to dominate next set of internet users

MUMBAI: India, with over 300 million internet users, is the second largest mobile market of the world, only after China. But, 300 million out of 1.2 billion population, surely leaves a lot of room for improvement. Urban India dominates 33 per cent of India’s total population, which means the next set of internet users will majorly come from the rural part, where people mostly communicate in their regional language.

The recently launched ‘Internet Saathi’ initiative by Google India in association with Tata Trusts and Intel promises to bridge the language gap. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Google south east Asia and India VP and managing director Rajan Anandan said, “Google will introduce more and more regional languages with more technical upgradations. Also, the voice search feature will be strengthened to make the use of internet easier for the rural part of the country.”

As per analysis, in the first six months of 2015, India is estimated to have added 52 million internet users of which 50 per cent (26 million) have come from rural India. For the first time India is going to witness equal growth rate.

But the discrimination of internet is not only limited to rural and urban, but very much evident in male and female also. A large part of rural India considers internet as a tool for male counterpart. Only 12 per cent women from rural India uses internet and it is highly important to change this mindset, do away with the fear and make women from rural India active part of internet explosion.

“We are working with various partners to help spread awareness about the benefits of being online amongst women. While we have now started the ‘Internet Saathi’ initiative, in association with Tata Trusts and Intel, earlier we had launched a new film to inspire young digital natives to bring their mothers online. There are a large number of educated women in India with internet access in their households, but they still do not use it. We are targeting them with our initiative,” informed Google country marketing director India Sandeep Menon.

India now has over 100 million online shoppers, 200 million plus wireless internet users, 140 million smartphones, over 85 million 3G users out of which 9.3 million were added in past three months. But when Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about ‘Digital India’, he dreams of 1.2 billion people benefiting from digital. But to achieve that, the rural-urban, male-female barrier needs to be tarnished as soon as possible with various initiatives.

When it comes to frequency of internet usage, reports signify that a good 61 per cent of users are daily users. About 18 per cent access internet several times a day, 10 per cent users at least use it once a day and 33 per cent access it on all seven days of the week.

If we take the example of mobile phones, the multiplications happened only once the device was made affordable in the rural and sub urban part of the country. India is a mass country with aspiration in every eyes and internet, if used adequately, can be a tool to achieve dreams in rural part where hi-tech education is yet to reach.

Also, e-commerce can grow at a double speed if rural India starts shopping online. While infrastructure and pricing of wireless data puts India on the back foot, Initiatives like ‘Digital India’ and ‘Internet Saathi’ enthralls optimism. It remains to be seen how Modi, Google, Tata, Ambani, Mittal strategises to take internet to rural India.

July 5, 2015
Spectrum sharing and trading guidelines on the anvil: Ravi Shankar Prasad

NEW DELHI: The Government is in the process of finalising the spectrum sharing and trading guidelines and is working towards creating an enabling ecosystem to make India a digitally-enabled society, according to Communications & IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Addressing a CEOs Roundtable on ‘Investment in the NexGen Digital Infrastructure’ organised by FICCI in collaboration with the Ministry to give an impetus to the recently launched ‘Digital India’ programme, Prasad said in the last 15 months, the government has been able to set a benchmark with its approach in spectrum auction. He added that the private sector has a pivotal role in driving the ‘Digital India’ programme.

Prasad said the government is working towards ‘Digital Inclusion’. In this regard, the process of digitally linking services such as healthcare and postal with community centres in rural areas have already begun. ‘Digital India’ programme needs massive investments, said Prasad and urged the industry to take advantage of the opportunities in the sector.

Prasad said electronic manufacturing has been one of the neglected sectors, which holds great promise. His ministry has been pursuing this vigorously and has been able to take the entire county onboard to drive this initiative. He added that the success of ‘Digital India’ would lead to employment generation, both primary and ancillary, and enhancing digital literacy of the citizens.

While highlighting the initiatives of the government Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg said harmonization of spectrum had begun and by the yearend this process would be complete for majority of bandwidth. He added that Mobile Number Portability is now possible throughout the country and Bharat Net by way of National Optic Fiber Network, would connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in India.

Garg underlined cyber security, local testing labs for cyber security and cloud computing as some of the promising areas for private sector investment. He added that with the expansion of digitization services such as e-health would become a reality where a person from rural area would be able to consult doctors in cities through a virtual platform.

Electronics & Information Technology Additional Secretary Tapan Ray said, “Digital India programme aims to provide a seamless communication between the government and its citizens. For this, the government in its ‘Digital India Week’ launched services like Digital Locker and E-sign to enable every citizen to seek services from the government.”

“India is marred by a digital divide,” said Ray and added that there is a need to bridge this gap with the creation of digital infrastructure. He called upon the industry to invest in digital infrastructure as the sector required massive funding which the government alone could not provide. Highlighting the areas for investments, Ray said that cyber security is one of the biggest challenges for the sector, which provides a huge opportunity to the private sector to explore as continuous vigilance would be needed to safeguard systems against cyberattacks.

FICCI President Jyotsna Suri said public-private partnerships would play a major role in shaping the future of ‘Digital India’ programme, by bringing efficiency along with much needed funding required for sustainability and scalability. She added that industry needs to understand the nature of the opportunities being offered by the government programmes like ‘Digital India’ hence FICCI has initiated the ‘Digital Bharat’ series as a platform for having transformative exchanges and deliberations.

July 4, 2015
“I am delighted that PM has given preference and priority to digitise India:” Ratan Tata

MUMBAI: In a marquee philanthropic move, Tata Trusts has teamed up with Google India to take internet closer to women of rural India with its ‘Internet Saathi’ initiative. The move comes at a time when India is celebrating ‘Digital India Week’.

The initiative has been built on the philosophy that it is important to digitise the entire country and not just a particular geography or gender.

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata at the time of launch of the initiative said, “It’s a privilege for us (Tata Trusts) to join hands with Google, a company I vastly admire because of the way it has digitised billions of people with its broad connectivity.”

Tata further added, “It took 7 to 10 years for India to popularise telephone, but today, right from a pan wala to a rickshaw driver, there are millions using the mobile phone. They can buy a prepaid sim and use the device and that has helped in enhancing their self respect and has brought education and knowledge closer to them. Such is the power of internet. I am delighted that our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has given preference and priority to digitise India.”

India is a booming market when it comes to mobile phones and wireless internet. “It’s absolutely unbelievable. No one thought India would have so many mobile phone users who are now gradually transforming into smartphone consumers. It’s very essential for women in rural India to earn their livelihood and be self dependent. I hope this initiative takes internet closer to them and takes commerce closer to them. I wish luck to Google, Intel and my colleagues at Tata Trusts,” he concluded.

July 3, 2015
Tata Trusts, Google India and Intel team up to launch Internet Saathi

MUMBAI: The definition of philanthropy is changing with time. In a philanthropic move and in keeping with the ‘Digital India’ campaign started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, business giant Tata Trusts and digital ruler Google India have tied up to launch a special programme called ‘Internet Saathi’ to empower women and their communities in rural India by enabling them to use internet and benefit from it in their daily lives.

The joint initiative is aimed at bridging the technology gender divide, which currently puts women in rural India at further risk of getting marginalized in the society as the world around them benefits from going online. The ‘Internet Saathi’ initiative adds on to the ‘Digital India’ vision of the country. The launch event was also attended by Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata.

The initiative will provide basic training on the usage and benefits of internet for women through specially designed internet cycle carts which will be used to visit areas in villages which women can easily access and also learn more from the internet.

Built on the back of a cycle, the cart is modeled on India’s traditional distribution system that is used to carry everything right from ice-creams to industrial supplies. The operator or the ‘Internet Saathi’ keen to train the women, would be akin to the village postman who was the single point contact for the village with the outside world both in terms of information as well as communication. Tata Trusts, with its vast field based ecosystem, will manage the on-ground rollout with its partners whereas Google will invest in providing the internet-enabled carts and the training content.

Google South East Asia and India VP and managing director Rajan Anandan said, “While women are making rapid progress on adoption of internet in urban areas, women in rural India are being left behind. Today only 12 per cent of internet users in rural India are women. We need to come together to address this challenge and empower women in rural India through training and programmes that can truly transform their lives. We are delighted to partner with the most respected and well known Tata Trusts who have years of experience in managing programmes of this scale. By combining our strengths, I am confident that we can achieve great results and overcome the challenges of providing easy access and digital education to women in rural India.”

“Tata Trusts strongly believes that innovative use of technology should be at the core of all its interventions that are undertaken for the benefit of the communities. Internet connectivity has become a fundamental need in any society and improves literacy and access to information that is instrumental for socio-economic development. We are glad that this joint initiative with Google will reach out to the rural communities, especially women in our country and we are confident that it will contribute towards their empowerment and also self-sustenance,” Tata Trusts executive trustee R Venkataramanan.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Google country marketing director India Sandeep Menon asserted, “With this initiative we will educate and empower women of rural India about internet and take them a step closer to entrepreneurship which will enable them to be self dependent. The next set of internet users will be totally different as majority of them will come from the rural part so it’s very important to make them aware about internet.”

The initiative will also be supported by Intel who has been a long term partner of Google India’s Helping Women Get Online initiative. “We believe that the vision of Digital India will empower every Indian citizen with equal opportunities irrespective of cast, creed and gender. At Intel, we believe that skill development and innovation are imperative for realizing the Digital India vision and we are very proud to collaborate with Google and Tata Trusts on the ‘Helping Women Get Online’ initiative especially as we celebrate the Digital India Week,” said Intel vice president SMG, managing director- South Asia Debjani Ghosh.

The initiative will kick off from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Jharkhand and will be rolled out across the country eventually reaching out to over 4500 villages and 5 lakh women and rural communities across rural India over the next eighteen months. The internet cart would be available in the village for a minimum of two days every week for over a period of four to six months. It will create awareness and also try to ensure that adequate training is provided to use the devices till women are confident of using them independently. Once the cart has completed the training in a cluster of three villages, it will be moved to the adjoining cluster for completion of a similar cycle. The training of women, and the community at large would be ensured by involving SHG federations / local NGO members as trainers.

Google’s helping women get online is an initiative to create awareness about the benefits of internet amongst 50 million women in India. Under this initiative, Google conducts various outreach and educational programmes. The programme includes an awareness module, coupled with hands-on training modules aimed at teaching women how to use the internet, including via mobile devices. Since the launch of this initiative, Google has directly trained over 1.5 million women on the basics of the internet.

July 3, 2015
Mukesh Ambani to invest Rs 250,000 crore for ‘Digital India’

MUMBAI: The country’s telecom giants have committed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plan to connect 2.5 lakh villages across India by 2019 at the launch of ‘Digital India Week’ in New Delhi.

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani began his address stating how, for the first time, the government, which usually lags behind industries, has taken a step ahead of them by conceiving ‘Digital India’. “Historically, the industry has moved faster than government in India, but with the ‘Digital India’ scheme, the government has overtaken the industry,” he said.

“The youth today aspires for merit based opportunities and progress which ‘Digital India’ will ensure them and we at Reliance Industries commit to achieving that goal with an investment of Rs 250,000 crore,” Ambani announced.

Addressing the infrastructure aspect, Ambani revealed his plans to create an all IP next generation wireless broadband infrastructure across all 29 states in India. Secondly, Reliance Jio will set up a nationwide distribution network that will enable 150,000 small electronic retailers to sell and service smartphones and internet devices.

Not just that, Reliance Jio is in talks with leading device manufacturers to invite them to make smartphones and internet devices at an affordable rate in India. “We will give them assured off-take from our retail system,” said Ambani, who stressed that his company is committed to make necessary investment and strongly partner with central and state government on e-governance, and other services that ‘Digital India’ will provide.

Though Mukesh Ambani set quite high standards for investors in their contribution to ‘Digital India,’ others who followed him didn’t fail to make their promises worth looking forward to.

Take his brother Anil Ambani for example. While most of the business leaders focused on manufacturing and infrastructure to penetrate in the remote areas, Anil Ambani addressed an important aspect of ‘Digital India’: a paper-free India powered by a gigantic database.

“A crucial prerequisite to Digital India’s success is the availability of unlimited cloud computing power, whose building block is a digital database of the mission,” pointed out Anil Ambani.

Reliance Group is the largest provider of data center facility, with its 11 data center connected by India’s largest terrestrial fiber network and world’s largest submarine cable structure, which Anil Ambani plans to double to 1.2 million sq ft in two years.

The Reliance Group chairman also announced a first of its kind initiative — five fully operational cloud exchange points. “Each of these will give government departments 240 times the computing power currently available to their data centers and their efficiency will scale up 100 per cent in every 90 days, as ‘Digital India’ will gather momentum,” he said, followed by an investment promise of Rs10,000 crore to the project.

Bharati Airtel too assured a ‘meaningful contribution’. Bharati Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharati Mittal said, “We at Airtel are fully committed to stand by the government’s revolutionary initiative in the digital space. We plan to invest in excess of Rs 100, 000 crore or USD 16 billion in infrastructure in rural and urban regions alike. We also plan to make 4G available to the masses.”

Mittal hailed Modi as a ‘digitally native man’ and the right person to lead India in this digital revolution. He also mentioned about Bharati Enterprises’ active involvement in promoting eHealth in villages and also collaborate with manufacturers to start making devices and services within India.

July 1, 2015
“I dream of digital India where 1.2 billion connected Indians drive innovation:”NaMo

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Digital India’ took a step forward on 1 July as the PM launched ‘Digital India Week’ in New Delhi. Modi, who foresees an impending “bloodless” cyber war as a global risk has called upon the nation’s IT community to become world leaders in providing credible cyber-security systems to the entire world. “Can’t India innovate in providing cyber security to the world and be a world leader in it?” he questioned.

The Prime Minister encouraged the leaders in IT manufacturing to boost production of electronic services and goods in the country as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. “We need to manufacture qualitatively globally competitive electronic goods in India and reduce our enormous dependency on imports,” he added.

Modi noted that there is a risk of digitization creating a barrier between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’s and result in a digital divide. To avoid that, he outlined his vision of e-governance and mobile governance, where all important government services will be available on the mobile phone and digital platforms.

“I dream of a digital India where high-speed digital highways unite the nation; 1.2 billion connected Indians drive innovation; technology ensures the citizen-government interface is incorruptible, where government proactively engages on social media platforms, quality education reaches inaccessible places of country, quality healthcare comes to remotest places through e health care,” he said.

He stressed on making India as paperless as possible, especially in terms of government documentations, banking and other bureaucratic services. A key aspect of this is ‘Digital India’s’ eLocker initiative which enables citizens to store their important documents in an online database and access it using a digital signature that will be unique to every citizen and used with their AADHAAR number. “With eLocker, one doesn’t need to carry all their paperwork to government offices when they are applying for any government or other services. It makes official work easier, economic and secure,” said Modi, who is rightly addressed as a ‘digital native man’ by industry leaders.

Apart from this, ‘Digital India’ aspires to spread its reach to the remotest parts of the country and enable citizens from all walks of society to enjoy its services like eHealth, eEducation, eScholarship, eSignature, ‘Digital India’ apps and weather reports for farmers among others.

To achieve that, the mammoth-size challenge lies in infrastructure and availability of high speed broadband throughout the country. “There was a time when highways were in demand and were crucial to settlements and industries. Today a developed city can only be built where fiber optics pass through,” he opined, enlisting Broadband Highway as a top priority in his ‘Digital India’ plan.

The Prime Minister cleverly tweaked his definition of IT and devised the formula ‘IT +IT =IT’ which breaks down to Indian Talent plus Information Technology which will give ‘India Tomorrow.’ He assured full support to young entrepreneurs who wished to launch start-ups and called upon the youth to innovate.

“In a few years we will be second globally in startups after America, and the government is willing to invest in entrepreneurs. We need to make products and technology based on the target age group, its utility in our Indian society and thus ‘Design in India’ is as important as ‘Make in India’,” he concluded.

July 1, 2015
“India will be a huge broadband market over the next 3 years:” Rajiv Kapur

MUMBAI: The Indian Cable TV sector has a gargantuan task at hand. Not only does it have to work towards converting analogue cable TV homes to digital, but it also needs to work towards connecting India with high-speed broadband pipes.

Multi system operators (MSOs) are now working towards strengthening their broadband services. While Hathway Cable & Datacom was the first to launch a 50 mbps broadband service on its Docsis 3.0 ultra high speed network in 2013, Siti Cable and Den Networks were quick to follow suit in 2014. Not only this, several cooperatives that mushroomed post the digitization announcement, are also looking at offering more broadband services. And all this, to improve business as well as their average revenue per user (ARPU).

So are MSOs in India taking the right approach to build a broadband base in the country? Broadcom India managing director Rajiv Kapur tells Indiantelevision.com, “I applaud the MSOs in the country for what they are doing. They are taking the right approach. If anything, they should do more of it.”

The satellite versus cable versus IPTV is probably the biggest war in the broadcast universe, where three different ways of delivering live TV compete with each other. “India is at a very nascent stage for IPTV, and that brings us to the satellite versus cable TV war. Like in any other market, both will co-exist with their own unique offerings. Both have existed with a large enough pie of their own and both bring something unique to the table,” opines Kapur.

Kapur believes that a reason why cable benefits over satellite is because it can provide a two way service. “While one way service is very limited, two way services are way more powerful in customizing things to make them more entertaining, or in gaming context more interactive. Taking a cue from what has happened in the rest of the world, I foresee that the sheer desire to remain competitive against satellite will again lead cable to bring broadband more aggressively in Indian cable market. The market itself isn’t exactly demanding it, so there has to be a little bit of a push to create the demand,” he adds.

Since Indian subscribers are currently not aware of the advantages of a two way pipe, cable operators will need to start making creative use of the pipe that gives two way cable services, which enhances one’s TV watching experience and not just leave it as a pipe. “Even if it is left as a pipe, there are still some benefits for cable operators because the ARPU will still be way higher,” Kapur informs.

Broadband will not only benefit cable operators, but also subscribers as there will be less capital expenditures (CAPEX) and a lower total bill, if they get the services from one operator. “So everyone benefits and this will happen whether it’s a sheer data pipe or there are services in the data pipe, which embellishes TV watching experience,” says Kapur.

According to him, one needs to be a little more patient with broadband as India is going through the basic steps of digitization. “As a country, barely have we been able to figure out how to get such a large footprint of analogue converted to digital. It is a very large market and that makes it that much more difficult. One needs to keep in mind that business relations between broadcasters, MSOs and LCOs are still settling down,” points out Kapur.

The country definitely needs a broadband push and now. Talking about how it will happen, Kapur suggests two types of push mechanism. “The first push is much easier and has already started, which is offering a higher bandwidth speed at aggressive pricing. This kind of push takes a progressive operator to initiate it and we have seen it happening. The second level of push is TV embellishing two way service. If you fast forward into 2016, there will be at least one progressive like-minded large cable operator who will begin showcasing interactive services that others will either be forced to follow or would want to follow,” he suggests.

Talking about the right pricing for broadband, Kapur says that the sweet spot of bandwidth and price is between Rs 800 – 1000. “There is always a package, which is above it and there is a package below it. What will happen with time is that higher speeds will come at the same price. This is the beauty of a competitive market. In a year from now, at least a few operators will start aggressive broadband packages in the market. The side effects of this on other operators starting the same, will take another year or two. So in the next two-three years, India will be a much larger broadband market than it is today,” feels Kapur.

Delay in Digitization

Kapur believes that even if the country sees a large percentage of digitized homes and not 100 per cent, is still a big step forward. “The only benefit of 100 per cent digitization is that one can do an analogue shut off,” he says.

Citing the positives of the delay of digitization, Kapur says, “The sheer magnitude of what needs to be done is very large. The delay gives time and opportunity to MSOs, LCOs and broadcasters to sort out their complex relations and their businesses.”

The pressure to complete seeding of set top boxes (STBs) on time in phase I and II saw many MSOs compromising with the STB quality. “If we have to deploy 50-100 million boxes, it will be a shame to do it without keeping quality in mind. This country shouldn’t waste money in replacing boxes. So there is a big positive in the delay as now the quality matrix of what needs to be looked in hardware procurement will be left uncompromised,” he adds.

Pay TV channel revenues post digitization

Currently there is fear in the masses that prices of pay TV channels post digitization will go up. Kapur feels that while there is an element of truth in that, it is only because in the analogue regime, people were not paying for what they were viewing. “The second television was not being paid for and people were slicing the cable and taking feeds. So in the bigger picture, prices will go up just because of that.”

Citing examples from the telecom sector, where high competition and usage led to reduction of prices, Kapur suggests that hyper competition will force price control even in the cable TV sector. “More services will come, which if taken by subscribers, will increase the ARPU for operators,” he opines.

In satellite, DTH players have existed since over 10 years, however the country witnessed hyper competition amongst players only in 2008-2009. As the DTH market enters its early stage of maturity, more services are being considered and offered to consumers. “All this took a decade. Cable will not take that long because the market is established due to DTH, but it still needs to go through it,” informs Kapur.

June 24, 2015
NASSCOM partners Symantec for building cyber security skills in India

MUMBAI: The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and global cyber security company Symantec have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for building cyber security skills in India.

The initiative aims to develop world-class skilled and certified professionals. The MoU was signed in the presence of NASSCOM president R. Chandrashekhar and Symantec president and CEO Michael A. Brown.

The development is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call at NASSCOM’s silver jubilee in March 2015 to focus on global cyber security challenges. Sector Skill Council (SSC) NASSCOM and DSCI along with Symantec will focus on developing five prioritized job roles in cyber security along with a master training program. Additionally, the program also intends to fund the scholarship for 1000 women undertaking the cyber security certification by NASSCOM.

Chandrashekhar said, “This is a positive step towards our objective to address the cyber security issue at large. This partnership will enable the industry to map existing and future skills requirements and plug its demand-supply gap. The program will also focus on developing pioneering models for scaling capacity and enhancing employability through assessments and certifications. We would like to thank Symantec for coming forward for this crucial initiative.”

With the rise of Internet related crimes, cyber security has become an area of focus for NASSCOM and its member organizations, and the association has launched several initiatives to promote data protection, security, privacy codes and standards. Also, the role of security professionals over the years has undergone major transformation, leading to a sharp rise in the need for a larger and more dynamic cyber security workforce. The demand for the workforce is expected to rise to six million (globally) by 2019, with projected shortfall of 1.5 million. Symantec and NASSCOM have collectively decided to address this issue. This initiative also aims to facilitate internships and placement of the certified candidates.

Brown added, “With the rise in targeted attacks aimed at Indian enterprises and consumers, cyber security has become more important than ever before. As a leader in cyber security, Symantec is deeply committed to addressing the workforce skills gap in this area. With the partnership with NASSCOM, we are taking the first big step towards building cyber security skills in India. The initiative will also facilitate internships and placement of certified candidates, and is an extension in India of the Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3), a program launched last year to attract and train young adults and women in the field of cyber security.”

With the global IT Security market estimated to be $77 billion in 2015 and grow at over eight per cent annually, NASSCOM has been actively working towards building capacity for the sector.

June 20, 2015
Broadband subscribers breach 100 million mark in April

NEW DELHI: Even as the Government is making efforts to reach the north east and to create awareness of Digital India, the number of broadband subscribers for the first time crossed the 100 million mark to register a base of 100.76 million at the end of April.

This was a slight increase of 1.57 per cent over the figure of March, which had shown 99.20 million subscribers.

This was primarily due to mobile devices users (phones and dongles), which grew from 93.24 million to 84.79 million, thus showing a growth of 1.86 per cent. Fixed wireless subscribers (Wi-fi, Wi-Max, Point to Point Radio and VSAT) showed a meager growth of 0.35 per cent and stood at just over 440, 000 while wired subscribers showed an even lesser growth of 0.04 per cent at just around 15.52 million.

The top five service providers constituted 83.40 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of April.

These service providers were Bharti Airtel (22.63 million), Vodafone (20.30 million), BSNL (18.02 million), Idea Cellular Ltd (15.01 million) and Reliance Communications Group (8.08 million).

Some wireless service providers exclude incidental data users from their subscriber base based on minimum usage decided by them.

As on 30 April, 2015, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL (9.92 million), Bharti Airtel (1.44 million), MTNL (1.14 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (0.68 million) and You Broadband (0.45 million).

As on 30 April, the top five wireless broadband service providers were Bharti Airtel (21.19 million), Vodafone (20.29 million), Idea Cellular (15.01 million), BSNL (8.10 million) and Reliance Communications Group (7.97 million).

June 16, 2015
Ofcom to auction more 4G spectrum; outlines next steps

MUMBAI: Ofcom plans to release valuable new airwaves that will improve 4G coverage and be used to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband services in the UK.

Decisions announced today will help Ofcom set the groundwork for the spectrum award, including how these frequencies will be licenced and the mechanics of the auction.

Potential bidders are also being asked for their views on how to best proceed with the auction.

While no specific uses for this spectrum have been prescribed, it is likely to interest the mobile industry, which relies on spectrum to offer internet services to consumers’ smartphones and tablets.

The 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz spectrum bands are being released for civil use and could be suitable for providing very high data capacity.

Since Ofcom’s last consultation on the auction, BT has announced plans to buy EE, while Hutchison Whampoa – the owner of Three – has reached agreement to acquire O2 from its current owner Telefonica. If the latter merger goes ahead it would reduce the UK wholesale mobile market from four major operators to three.

Ofcom’s objective is to award the frequencies in a way that will allow consumers to enjoy greater access to high-capacity mobile internet without undue delay.

The consultation invites potential bidders to comment on an option where Ofcom would award most of the newly available spectrum later this year, or early in 2016. The remaining frequencies would be held back for award at a later date.

This approach may be preferable to the alternatives of either awarding all of the spectrum, or delaying the award – although both those options remain open. Ofcom will determine later in the year the best approach to making the spectrum available, following stakeholder responses and the condition of the market.

Under decisions announced today, Ofcom would issue licences for the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands for an indefinite period, but with an initial term of 20 years after which licence fees may be payable.

There will be no coverage obligations placed on this spectrum. This is because the frequencies being auctioned are better suited for high capacity and faster speeds, rather than achieving wide geographical coverage.

The closing date for this consultation is 26 June.

May 27, 2015