ITV

Category: Telecom

  • Reliance Jio maintains lead, gains 4.7 million users in April: TRAI

    Reliance Jio maintains lead, gains 4.7 million users in April: TRAI

    New Delhi: Reliance Jio’s reign over the market continues, as the telecom major added 4.7 million mobile subscribers in April, according to the latest data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Its subscriber base has now reached 427.6 million across the country.

    The Mukesh Ambani-led company had earlier doubled the net mobile user additions in March compared to February.

    However, its rival Vodafone Idea lost 1.8 million customers in April, after gaining 1.08 million subscribers in March. Its subscriber base has now dropped to 281.9 million in April.

    Bharti Airtel also recorded a decline in the number of net subscriber additions. The company added 0.51 million wireless customers in April, compared to 4.05 million subscribers in March. Its user base rose marginally to 352.9 million.


    x`Overall, the number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,201.20 million at the end of March to 1,203.47 million at the end of April, showing a monthly growth rate of 0.19 per cent over the previous month. “The monthly growth rates of urban and rural telephone subscription were 0.08 per cent and 0.32 per cent, respectively, during the month of April,” said the regulatory body.

    The overall tele-density in India increased from 88.17 per cent at the end of March to 88.27 per cent at the end of April. The share of urban subscribers in the total number of telephone subscribers at the end of April was 55.20 per cent, while it was 44.80 per cent for the rural areas.

    As per the reports received from 438 operators in the month of April, 2021, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 778.09 million at the end of March to 782.86 million at the end of April with a monthly growth rate of 0.61 per cent, said TRAI.

    The top five service providers constituted 98.8 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of April. These included- Reliance Jio Infocomm (430.47 million), Bharti Airtel (194.18 million), Vodafone Idea (122.54 million), BSNL (24.52 million) and Atria Convergence (1.87 million).

  • Jio leads in 4G download speed, Vodafone Idea fastest in upload: TRAI

    Jio leads in 4G download speed, Vodafone Idea fastest in upload: TRAI

    New Delhi: Reliance Jio continues to reign over the 4G internet segment with 21.9 megabit per second (Mbps) average download speed in June. The download speed has increased marginally from 20.7 Mbps in May, showed the latest monthly data published by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

    Jio’s network speed in the month was over three times higher than that of the nearest competitor Vodafone Idea, which showed an average download speed of 6.5 Mbps. Meanwhile, Airtel also recorded a marginal improvement in its average 4G download speed, but it was still the lowest at five Mbps, as per the data.

    While Jio tops the 4G download chart, Vodafone Idea leads in the upload segment.

    According to the telecom regulator, Vodafone Idea had an average upload speed of 6.2 Mbps in May, followed by Reliance Jio with an upload speed of 4.8 Mbps and Bharti Airtel with 3.9 Mbps.

    The download speed helps consumers access content from the internet, while upload speed helps them send or share pictures or videos to their contacts. The average speed is computed by TRAI based on the data it collects across India with the help of its MySpeed application on a real-time basis.

    Government owned telecom operator BSNL, which has also rolled out 4G service in select areas, did not figure in the TRAI data.

  • Google, Jio unveil affordable smartphone JioPhone Next

    KOLKATA: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)’s telecom arm Jio democratised internet usage in India in 2016 with the launch of affordable 4G connections. The company did not limit itself to just telecom after its humongous success but transformed itself into a technology platform. Over the last year, it also struck several partnerships with global tech giants including Google.

    At the 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of RIL on Thursday, chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani made yet another major announcement about taking the partnership one step further. The two companies have now collaborated to develop India’s ‘most affordable smartphone’ JioPhone Next.

    The fully-featured smartphone will be available from 10 September. However, the company has not revealed the price yet.

    JioPhone Next will have features like a voice assistant, automatic read-aloud of screen text, language translation, smart camera with augmented reality filters. It seems quite clear that the company is not only looking at affordability but the user-friendly aspect for mass consumers. And language translation features may lead to another revolution in regionalisation of the digital economy in India.

    In addition to that, Ambani has announced a new 5G partnership between Google Cloud and Jio. The latter will use Google Cloud’s cutting-edge technologies to power Jio’s 5G Solutions and for powering the internal needs of key Reliance growth businesses like Reliance Retail, JioMart, JioSaavn, and JioHealth.

    “We are confident of being the first to launch full-fledged 5G services. And, because of our converged, future-proof architecture, Jio’s network is uniquely positioned to quickly and seamlessly upgrade from 4G to 5G,” said Ambani, “To develop the end-to-end 5G ecosystem we are now working with leading global partners to develop a full range of 5G-capable devices. The Jio 5G technology is also well-positioned to create compelling applications for consumers and enterprises spanning Healthcare, Education, Entertainment, Retail and other key verticals of the economy.”

  • Jio Q4: Profit rises 47.5% to Rs 3,508 crore

    Jio Q4: Profit rises 47.5% to Rs 3,508 crore

    KOLKATA: Reliance Industries Ltd’s (RIL) digital, telecom arm Jio Platforms’ net profit rose 47 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,508 crore in the fourth quarter (Q4) of FY21. Its net profit stood at Rs 2,379 crore in Q4 of FY20.

    The company posted Rs 18,278 crore revenue from operations, compared to Rs 15,373 in the corresponding quarter of FY20. However, average revenue per user (ARPU) for the telecom business dropped by 8.5 per cent sequentially to Rs 138.20 as against Rs 151 in the trailing quarter.

    “Jio has a highly engaged 426 million customer base and remains committed to enhancing digital experiences not only for our existing customers but, for all individuals, households, and enterprises across the country. With its path defining partnerships over the last couple of years, Jio will continue to strive towards making India a premier digital society,” RIL chairman and managing director

    Mukesh Ambani said.

    Jio’s total customer base stood at 426.2 million at the end of the quarter, adding 15.4 million subscribers in the quarter. Churn reduced during the quarter to 1.26 per cent on the back of focused sales initiatives and reducing Covid impact in parts of the country during the quarter, it added.

    Total data traffic, voice traffic during the quarter grew by 5.2 per cent, 5.9 per cent respectively. 

  • Bharti Airtel restructures to focus on digital assets

    Bharti Airtel restructures to focus on digital assets

    NEW DELHI: Telecom giant Bharti Airtel has tweaked its corporate structure in a bid to sharpen its focus on digital opportunities while enabling it to unlock value. 

    Under the new structure, Airtel Digital will merge with the listed entity Bharti Airtel, and it will now house all digital assets of the company including Wynk Music, Airtel X stream, Airtel Thanks, Mitra Payments platform used by a million retailers, Airtel Ads, Airtel IQ, Airtel Secure, Airtel Cloud and all future digital products and services. 

    The move is expected to be instrumental in attracting strategic and financial investors as well as scale up the digital business. With this, the company has set its sights on ramping up digital business revenue to more than Rs 1,000 crore from Rs 100 crore now.

    From now, the telecom business of the company will be housed in a new entity, Airtel Limited – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Ltd. Bharti Telemedia, the arm operating DTH services of the company, will be housed alongside Airtel Limited. 

    On the other hand, Airtel Payments Bank will remain a separate entity under Bharti Airtel. The conglomerate’s infrastructure businesses that include Nxtra and Indus Towers will continue to remain separate entities as they are now. 

    "The new structure sets the exciting future course for Bharti Airtel and provides focus on the four distinct businesses – digital, India, international and infrastructure, each, in a razor-sharp way,” said Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal in a statement. “We believe this will provide agility, expertise, and operational rigour to serve our customers brilliantly while providing flexibility to unlock value for our shareholders. This structure will serve us well over the coming years and is a win-win for all stakeholders."

    The statement from Airtel revealed that the company is intending to "eventually fold the DTH business into Airtel Limited to move towards the NDCP vision of converged services to customers." 

  • Vi kicks off online gaming tournament for IPL 2021 viewers

    Vi kicks off online gaming tournament for IPL 2021 viewers

    KOLKATA: With India Premier League (IPL) kicking in, the tournament’s associate media sponsor Vi has rolled out an engaging initiative based on the popular game concept Play Along’ i.e. play while you watch the live T20 league. One can play solo or with friends every day during the upcoming matches spread over 52 days, and add some fun and excitement with loads of rewards. Vi is offering its customers an opportunity to participate in the Vi Dekho bhi, Khelo bhi, Jeeto bhi online gaming initiative and win daily prizes as well as a bumper tournament prize, from 9 April to 30 May 2021.

    This announcement comes close on the heels of Vi’s partnership with Disney+ Hotstar, giving the telecom operator’s customers the opportunity to watch the IPL T20 games live from their mobile phones, from anywhere.  

    All Vi customers (pre-paid and postpaid) can register and play the game. It will need one time registration from the Vi App home page. There will be four stages for each game, pre-match, play along, strategic time-out, and power play. There will be daily challenges based on the day’s match. Each participant can earn booster points by inviting friends or recharge / bill payment through the Vi app. There are daily prizes for top scorers of the match, bumper prizes for top scorers of the tournament and mega prizes basis draw of lots for those who have scored a certain minimum points.

    As a separate initiative, Vi has invited customers to play the ‘Vi Fan of the Match’ contest during match breaks and win exciting rewards, including iPhones. ‘Vi Fan of the Match’ can be played on the telco’s official Facebook and Instagram page, and on Twitter during every match break. Participants will have to answer simple questions pertaining to the live match being played. There will be a total of 20 questions for each match. The gifts on offer for those giving the maximum correct answers:

    o   Surprise Vouchers on every ad break.

    o   iPhones to be won at the end of every match – 60 matches, 60 winners, 60 iPhones.

    o   Bumper prize at the end of the season.

    Additionally, the names and photos of each daily winner will be put up on Vi’s social media pages.

  • Jio rolls out bundled offerings ahead of IPL 2021

    Jio rolls out bundled offerings ahead of IPL 2021

    KOLKATA: As Indian Premier League(IPL) 2021 is around the corner, telecom giant Jio has unveiled new offerings. Four of its prepaid plans include Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription for a year which will allow users to watch live IPL matches.

    The prepaid plans are priced at Rs 401, Rs 598, Rs 777, Rs 2599 for 28, 56, 84, 365 days respectively. Alongside that, all Jio Postpaid Plus plans come with access to the IPL embedded.

    Jio’s live gaming initiative ‘Jio Cricket Play Along’ will present a new side of entertainment while competing, to its fans. The interactive game is available free to all users (Jio or non-Jio) and provides a chance to win big. Cricket enthusiasts may also express their emotions via emoji stickers on a special chat bar on the game. Trivia fans may also tickle their grey cells with cricket-based quizzes. It can be accessed through MyJio app.

    JioPhone users can join the celebration with the new Jio Cricket app. The app is available for free to all JioPhone users. Users can watch score updates, take part in quizzes and win prizes.

    Jio users can participate in exciting contents and win merchandise daily. Merchandise such as exclusively signed cricket bats and balls, team jerseys, and more will be made available to Jio users.

  • Vi partners with Firework to offer vertical video stories to users

    Vi partners with Firework to offer vertical video stories to users

    KOLKATA: Telecom operator Vi has inked a strategic partnership with Firework, the world’s largest story publishing platform based in Silicon Valley.

    This is the first time an Indian telecom operator has offered the Stories format to its users. Globally, almost every platform is adopting the Stories format to enable higher engagement for its audiences. The partnership allows Vi to leverage Firework's massive content repository from global content studios and also get access to unique occupational generated content (OGC) creators who are expert storytellers across a wide genre of subjects.

    “We provide an array of content from multiple OTT players varying across genres like live TV, movies and web series in multiple languages on Vi Movies and TV app. Vi is excited to be the first Telco to partner with Firework for powering the most trending short videos, specially curated for Vi customers. The format is designed to entertain you in ‘30 seconds’ across various categories and interests. Mobiles have become the preferred screens for entertainment and the average time spent on watching short videos is significantly higher than long-form content, demonstrating that the engagement levels provided by short videos remain unparalleled. Through our partnership with Firework, Vi subscribers will get a wide choice of trending stories across genre and languages,” Vi chief marketing officer Avneesh Khosla said.

    Firework president at Mobile Anand Vidyanand said, “Vi’s users can now enjoy their favorite content without the need of downloading another app. With this partnership, Firework is further strengthening its reach across telecom operators, device manufacturers, and app developers. Firework is fully committed to Vi’s vision in bringing the best occupationally generated short-video content to its customers across nearly 40 delightful categories, including multiple Indic languages.”

    While the collaboration enhances Vi’s customer experience and Firework’s reach significantly, it also addresses the need of the creator community with exceptional discoverability in a cluttered content space, pivotal on Firework’s large story ecosystem globally that include top tier traditional publishers, OEMs, network operators, and blogs.

  • Jio overtakes Hathway wired broadband subscriber base in Jun-20

    Jio overtakes Hathway wired broadband subscriber base in Jun-20

    BENGALURU: Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) has been the largest broadband internet services provider in the country – a major portion of its subscriber base is wireless internet – through the mobile phone. However, the player is also making strides in terms of customer acquisition for its wireline broadband internet services. Per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data for the month ended 30 June 2020 (Jun-20), Jio climbed up one spot to fourth place in terms of wireline broadband internet subscribers, pushing down its sister company Hathway Cable & Datacom (Hathway) to fifth rank. Overall, wired broadband internet subscriber base grew 2.29 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) to 1.982 crore (198.2 lakh, 19.82 million) in Jun-20 from 1.938 crore (193.8 lakh, 19.38 crore) in May-19. Jio’s wireline subscriber base grew 9.3 percent m-o-m in Jun-19 to 0.106 crore (10.6 lakh, 1.06 million) from 0.097 crore (9.7 lakh, 0.97 million) in May-20.

    The public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had the largest wireline internet subscriber base of 0.79 crore (79 lakh, 7.9 million) in Jun-19 as compared to 0.793 crore (79.3 lakh, 7.93 million) in the previous month. Bharati Airtel (Airtel) was ranked second in terms of wireline broadband subscriber base. The telecom major closed June 2020 with 0.247 crore (24.7 lakh, 2.47 million) subscribers, up by around 60,000 as compared to the 0.241 crore (24.1 lakh, 2.41 million) wireline broadband subscribers in May-20. 

    Read more news on Hathway

    At third place was Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) with 0.168 crore (16.8 lakh, 1.68 million). Subscribers as compared to 0.164 crore (16.4 lakh, 1.64 million).As mentioned above, Jio was ranked fourth followed by Hathway at fifth rank. Hathway subscriber base grew by 70,000 to 0.097 crore (9.7 lakh, 0.97 million) in Jun-20 from 0.09 crore (9 lakh, 0.9 million) in May-20. Please refer to the figure below:

    All Broadband Internet Subscribers

    Subscriber base across All Broadband Internet platforms grew 2.11 percent in Jun-20 to 69.823 crore (6,982.3 lakh, 698.23 million) from 68.377 crore (6,837.7 lakh, 683.77 million) at the end of the previous week. Subscriber base growth was led by Mobile devices users to 67.779 crore (6,777.9 lakh, 677.79 million) at the end of Jun-20 from 66.378 crore (6,637.8 lakh, 663.78 million) in May-30. Fixed wireless subscribers (Wi-I, Wi-Max, Point-to-Point Radio and VSAT) grew by 2.23 percent to 0.063 crore (6.3 lakh, 0.63 million) in Jun-20 from 0.061 crore (6.1 lakh, 0.61 million) above. Data for wireline subscribers have been indicated above.

    Read more news on Jio

    Please refer to the figure below:

    The top five service providers constituted 98.93 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of June-20. These service providers wereJio with 39.831 crore (3,9831 lakh, 398.31 million), Airtel 15.13 crore (1,513 lakh, 151.30 million), Vodafone Idea with 11.645 crore (1,164.5 lakh, 116.45 million), BSNL 2.3 crore (230 lakh, 23 million) and ACT with 0.168 crore (16.8 lakh, 1.68 million).

    As on 30th June, 2020, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Jio with 38.725 crore (3,972.5 lakh, 397.25 million), Bharti Airtel with 14.884 crore (1,488.4 lakh, 148.84 million), Vodafone Idea with 11.644 crore (1,164.4 lakh, 116.44 million), BSNL with 1.51 crore (151 lakh, 15.10 million) and MTNL with 0.016 crore (1.6 lakh, 0.16 million).