ITV

Category: Telecom

  • Idea is now MP & Chhattisgarh’s fastest 4G Network for uploads; as verified by Ookla

    Idea is now MP & Chhattisgarh’s fastest 4G Network for uploads; as verified by Ookla

    MUMBAI: Idea has emerged as the fastest 4G network for uploads in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, as verified by Ookla – the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. Results of 4G data speed tests done across the region have revealed that Idea 4G is the fastest network in terms of upload speed in the entire region of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

    Ookla’s findings have verified Idea 4G upload speeds to be the highest as compared to all other top operators in MP & CG. Now with Idea 4G, customers can now enjoy making group video calls, binge on series or movies and share photos or videos and everything they love doing at the fastest speed.

    Speaking on the development, Mr. Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd. said, “We are deploying new age technologies to enhance customer experience as we build a robust, future ready network in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh. Ookla verification is a recognition of our consistent efforts to provide better network experience to our valued customers.”

    Vodafone Idea Ltd. is on a major network modernization exercise to ensure that customers get a seamless data experience and connectivity in both rural and urban locations of Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh. The company offers 4G, 3G and 2G services through a large spectrum portfolio of 61 MHz utilized across 12,106 sites. Post network integration, Idea coverage is available across 664 Towns and 53,130 villages in the Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh circle covering 260800 sq. km area.

    The recent network initiatives have resulted in Idea 4G delivering fastest upload speeds in the region and the recognition by global leader – Ookla at this stage validates the efforts of the company.

    According to Mr. Rajesh Naik, Business Head – MP & CG, Vodafone Idea Ltd., “We are delighted to be verified as ‘MP & CG’s fastest 4G network for uploads’. We hope our customers will continue to enjoy the benefits of Idea 4G and take delight in our premium content offerings from Sony LIV, Zee5, Shemaroo, Hoi Choi etc. available on the Idea Movies & TV App. We are also confident that our strengthened network presence and faster 4G speeds will attract more customers to the Idea network in MPCG.” 

    Fastest 4G upload speeds in MPCG is based on analysis Ookla of Speedtest Intelligence® data of tests taken by 4G users using popular Speedtest app from Apr – June 2019. MP & CG’s Fastest 4G upload speed Network verification is based on mean 4G speeds.

  • Vodafone prompts customers to live their dreams with #LiveMoreChallenge

    Vodafone prompts customers to live their dreams with #LiveMoreChallenge

    MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s leading telecommunications service provider, today announced the launch of #LiveMoreChallenge as a part of their ongoing #LiveMore campaign with India’s Data Strong Network with the affable young-at-heart couple- Asha and Bala.

    Everyone has those friends and family members who have been maintaining a bucket list of things they want to try but never really got the time or inspiration to attempt them. Be it a solo trip to the hills, or a dive from the sky, or a hobby that has been long forgotten.  It’s time to encourage them to go after their dreams with Vodafone’s #LiveMoreChallenge.

    The #LiveMoreChallenge urges people to step out and explore their passions and interests. It draws inspiration from the famous dialogue ‘Jaa jee le apni zindagi' and cues in the fact that Vodafone’s fastest ever 4G enables customers to live and accomplish more.

    It is a simple challenge where the participants will be sharing video of their #LiveMore moments, tagging brand Vodafone on- Facebook, twitter, Instagram and Tiktok and use #LiveMoreChallenge hashtag to dare friends to share their moments. The participants with best entries will stand a chance to win iPhones and Flipkart vouchers.

    The new campaign celebrates the spirit of living life to the fullest and encourages everyone to live their dreams using fast 4G mobile data as an efficient tool. Featuring veteran Bharatanatyam dancers and Padma Bhushan awardees, C P Shanta and V P  Dhananjayan, the campaign has four ads, conceptualised by Vodafone Idea’s creative agency, Ogilvy & Mather India.  One of the ads also feature famous Indian pop and playback singer, Usha Uthup, enjoying a hearty meal at Asha’s Kitchen.

    Vodafone’s #LiveMore campaign resonates strongly with audiences across the country and tells how simple technology can change people’s lives. The campaign communicates the possibilities that technology brings to make everyone’s lives so much more enjoyable.

  • Jio PAT at Rs 891 cr; FTTH beta trails encouraging

    Jio PAT at Rs 891 cr; FTTH beta trails encouraging

    BENGALURU:  Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani’s largest startup company in the world – Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Jio) reported 6.1 percent growth in standalone profit after taxes (PAT) at Rs 891 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2019 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the Rs 840 crore in the immediate trailing quarter (q-o-q) or Q4 2019. Standalone EBITDA for the period under review increased 8.2 percent q-o-q to Rs 4,686 crore (40.1 percent margin) as compared to Rs 4,329 crore (39 percent margin).

    The result of the quarter ended 30 June 2019 are not comparable with the corresponding figures for the previous period to the extent of the demerger of the Optic Fibre Cable Undertaking and transfer of Tower Infrastructure Undertaking of the Company pursuant to Composite Scheme of Arrangement with appointed date as 31 March 2019. The company says that the numbers for the year ago quarter are not comparable with the quarter under review and have been regrouped wherever necessary. Hence this report looks at the q-o-q comparison.

    Jio says in an earnings release that ongoing beta trials of JioGigaFiber services is in its final stages, and early signs have been very encouraging.

    FTTH Enterprise services are also being rolled out gradually reveals the company further.

    Reliance Industries Limited Ambani, chairman and managing director,

    said: “Growth in Jio mobility services has continued to surpass all expectations. In less than two years of commercial operations, Jio network carried almost 11 Exabytes of data traffic during the recently concluded fiscal quarter. Jio management is focused on giving unmatched digital experience at most affordable price to every citizen of the country, and accordingly expanding the network capacity and coverage to keep pace with demand. Jio has started connecting Enterprises with its next-gen connectivity solutions on the back of its extensive fiber network across the country. Beta trials of JioGigaFiber services have been very successful and the entire bouquet of smart home solutions would soon be rolled out to targeted 50 million households and beyond. Jio is committed to power the Digital Revolution in India through its technology platforms across communication, entertainment, commerce, financial services, education, healthcare, agriculture and beyond.”

    Jio reported 5.2 percent q-o-q growth in standalone operating revenue at Rs 11,679 crore for Q1 2020 as compared to Rs 11,106 crore in Q4 2019. The company says that its subscriber base as on 30th June 2019  was 33.13 crore (331.3 million, 3,313 lakh). It claims lowest churn in the industry at 0.97 percent per month. Jio says that ARPU during the quarter was Rs 122.0 per subscriber per month. It says that total wireless data traffic during the quarter was1,090 crore GB and total voice traffic during the quarter was 78,597 crore minutes.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Jio

    Total expenses for Q1 2020 grew 5.2 percent q-o-q to Rs 10,326 crore from Rs  9,818 crore. Network operating expenses in Q1 2020 grew 12.6 percent q-o-q to Rs 3,824 crore from Rs 3,401 crore. Access charges (Net) declined 22.6 percent to Rs 851 crore in the period under review from Rs 1,099 crore. License Fees/Spectrum charges increased 9.1 percent q-o-q to Rs 1,287 crore from Rs 1,180 crore. Employee benefits expense for the period declined 14.4 percent q-o-q to Rs 392 crore from Rs 458 crore. Net Finance charges for Q1 2020 increased 28.3 percent q-o-q to Rs 1,660 crore from Rs 1,294 crore. Selling and distribution expenses for the quarter increased 4.9 percent q-o-q to Rs 345 crore from Rs 329 crore. Other expenses declined 1 percent q-o-q to Rs 310 crore from Rs 313 crore.

  • Jio leads in AGR for March ’19 quarter

    Jio leads in AGR for March ’19 quarter

    MUMBAI: Fresh data from TRAI has shown that Reliance Jio was again the top telecom operator for the quarter ended March 2019. It had an adjusted gross revenue of Rs 9839 crore.

    Vodafone Idea had an AGR of Rs 7113.4 crore, which was 1.25 per cent lower than the previous quarter. Vodafone Idea is the largest telecom company on the basis of subscriber base.

    Bharti Airtel had an AGR of Rs 5920.2 crore, an 8 per cent fall.

    Jio's AGR from mobile saw a rise of 3.76 per cent to touch Rs 9838.9 crore. However, the q-o-q AGR growth for Jio was lower than the 14.6 per cent growth it saw in the previous quarter.

  • RIL likely to infuse Rs 20,000 cr in Reliance Jio

    RIL likely to infuse Rs 20,000 cr in Reliance Jio

    MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is likely to infuse Rs 20,000 crore in Reliance Jio to boost its broadband and 5G services. As per a Mint report, Reliance Jio will issue 4 billion non-cumulative optionally convertible preference shares to its parent at Rs 50 each for cash.

    “The capital would be used to expand operations of Reliance Jio. The non-cumulative optionally convertible preference shares carry an interest rate of 9 per cent," Mint report said citing a source. Jio has built a subscriber base of 306.7 million in a very short span of time.

    An analyst at a domestic brokerage said that capital requirement for the telecom sector will stay high due to the constant infrastructure upgradation and the proposed 5G expansion. He added that Jio is now focused on reaching out to the country’s underserved homes and enterprise connectivity market.

    RIL has an outstanding debt of more than Rs 2.87 trillion as of 31 March which increased by Rs 69,000 crore during the year due to investments in Jio. The telco giant has decided to transfer its fibre and tower arms to two infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) – Digital Fibre Infrastructure Trust and Tower Infrastructure Trust to cure debt.

    “In our view, the InvIT has effectively allowed RIL to replace ₹710 billion of external debt with very-long-term (20-year) money and thereby remove any refinancing need on this amount of debt. It also gives more balance sheet flexibility and allows RIL to further increase spending across its consumer business if it chooses to do so,” said an earlier JPMorgan report as quoted by Mint.

  • Jio to connect GigaFiber, Home TV and apps

    Jio to connect GigaFiber, Home TV and apps

    MUMBAI: Reliance Jio is reportedly testing a 'Triple Play Plan' for its fibre to the home (FTTH) service, Jio GigaFiber. The plan will enable users to access Jio GigaFiber, Jio Home TV and Jio Apps in a single pack.

    As per a report from Telecom Talk, the company is testing the triple play plan with its employees and the plan can be seen on the GigaFiber account dashboard.  The plan will offer 100GB of high-speed data, unlimited voice calling, Jio Home TV subscription along with access to Jio’s portfolio of app. It will be valid for 28 days.

    Mukesh Ambani-led Jio announced its high speed fixed lined broadband services for retail customers last year. During the formal announcement, it was announced that Jio Giga Fibre would come with a Jio Giga TV set top box offering more than 600 TV channels as well as over 1000 movies with enabled voice command feature for TV.

    Along with that, an interesting feature of video calling through TV was also highlighted . Users can call every other TV connected through Jio Gigafibre.  For smooth rollout of the service, the company also acquired majority stakes in multi system operators such as Hathway and DEN Networks.

  • Idea offers one year of amazon prime with nirvana postpaid plans

    Idea offers one year of amazon prime with nirvana postpaid plans

    MUMBAI: Amazon and Vodafone Idea announced today that all Idea Nirvana postpaid customers are eligible to receive a year of Amazon Prime (worth INR 999) at no additional cost – providing customers the best in entertainment and shopping: Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading and unlimited free, fast shipping on millions of items along with early and exclusive access to deals on Amazon.in.

    With this offering, Idea customers with a Nirvana postpaid plan of INR 399 and above can enjoy unlimited streaming anytime, anywhere. They’ll have access to premium movies and TV shows on Prime Video including the latest and exclusive blockbuster Hollywood, Bollywood and Indian Regional movies, top TV shows, stand-up comedies, kids programs and critically acclaimed Prime Original series like International Emmy Award nominated Inside Edge, Breathe, The Remix, Comicstaan, Hear Me. Love Me., Mirzapur, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, multiple award winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Homecoming and Four More Shots Please! And with Amazon Prime Music, Idea customers also have access to ad-free music streaming and unlimited offline downloads across tens of millions of songs in over 20 languages to enjoy at no additional cost to Prime membership. Idea customers can enjoy their favorite music hands-free using voice, just by asking Alexa for music based on genre, artist, album, mood, activity or create a playlist/add a song to an existing playlist. In addition, customers can get access to free eBooks and unlimited free 1 and 2 day delivery, exclusive launces, early access to sale events and many more discounts on Amazon.

    Vodafone Red and Amazon Prime already has an existing relationship under which Vodafone postpaid customers will continue to enjoy access to Amazon Prime membership (worth Rs. 999) as part of their plan benefits.

    Commenting on this collaboration, Avneesh Khosla, Operations Director – Marketing, Vodafone Idea Ltd said “Today’s customers are digitally savvy and want more freedom and flexibility in the way they consume content. We understand the need to offer a great content experience to our consumers. Through this strategic relationship with Amazon Prime, we are further strengthening our content proposition and our commitment to offer the best to our customers. It provides them access to an extensive library of diverse and high-quality original content – thousands of movies, videos, TV shows and ad-free music on-the-go. We are confident that this association will provide both Vodafone and Idea customers a seamless on-the-go shopping and entertainment experience to our customers.”

    Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Head, Business, Amazon Prime Video India said, “Prime Video continues to entertain and delight customers across the length and breadth of the country.  We are delighted to partner with Idea and believe that this association will further expand the reach of Prime Video to an even larger base of customers who can enjoy our Prime Originals, Blockbuster Films and other Premium content on a screen of their choice – be it their mobile device, their personal computer or the television in their living room”

    Akshay Sahi, Director and Head of Amazon Prime India said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Idea and make Amazon Prime available to even more customers. Idea Nirvana postpaid customers can now experience Amazon Prime as a part of their plan, which provides customers an unparalleled combination of shopping and entertainment benefits. We believe these subscribers will love the many benefits of Prime; from listening to ad-free music across multiple languages on Prime Music, to watching the latest Bollywood, Regional and International video titles on Prime Video, from shopping exclusive deals on items they love most on Amazon.IN, to enjoying free fast delivery on millions of products, and a lot more”

    The annual Amazon Prime membership can be activated through the Idea Movies & TV app.  Access to Prime Video is available after downloading the Prime Video app on supported devices. By downloading the Amazon Music App, one can enjoy hundreds of hand-curated Playlists and Stations specially curated by Amazon Prime Music’s editors across moods, activities, genres, artists and decades. They can also avail shopping benefits by logging in with their Prime account details on Amazon.in.

    Similarly, one can enjoy hundreds of hand-curated Playlists and Stations specially curated by Amazon Prime Music’s editors across moods, activities, genres, artists and decades, by downloading the Amazon Music app and avail shopping benefits by logging in with their Prime account credentials on Amazon.in.

  • Bharti Airtel to cut direct stake in Infratel by 32%

    Bharti Airtel to cut direct stake in Infratel by 32%

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel, the telecom service provider has recently said in an exchange filing that it will lower its stake in Bharti Infratel by selling around 32 per cent stake to Nettle Infrastructure Investments by 18 March.

    Airtel will own 18.3 per cent stake in Infratel after the transfer, down from its current stake of 50.33 per cent.

    The company said, “The Board of Directors of Bharti Airtel Limited, in order to explore a potential monetization of stake in Bharti Infratel Limited (‘Infratel’) in the future, approved sale transfer of up to 32 per cent of Infratel to its wholly-owned subsidiary-Nettle Infrastructure Investments Limited (‘Nettle’)-in its meeting held on December 20, 2018.”

    The shares of Bharti Airtel surged 6 per cent on the BSE on Tuesday and closed at Rs 350.80 a piece, up 5.12 per cent from the previous day’s closing figure.

    Nettle Infrastructure has a 3.2 per cent stake in Infratel. After the transaction, its stake would rise to 35.2 per cent, it said. The price of shares for the deal would be at or around the market price prevailing on the date of acquisition. According to the reports, sector analysts said this transfer of shares would eventually lead to sale of the stake to a third party and help Bharti Airtel raise much-needed funds. Airtel, and the other player, Vodafone Idea, are facing pressure on their financials since the entry of Reliance Jio in late 2016. 

    Bharti Infratel shares fell as much as 3.4 per cent to Rs 309.

  • Bharti Airtel board’s special committee recommends Rs 32,000 cr rights issue

    Bharti Airtel board’s special committee recommends Rs 32,000 cr rights issue

    BENGALURU: The Sunil Mittal-headed Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) has informed the bourses that its board of directors (the board) in its meeting held on. Thursday, February 28, 2019, has considered the recommendations of 'Special Committee of Directors for Fund Raising' and thereby approved the fund raising of up to Rs 32,000 crore through rights issuance of upto Rs 25,000 crore; and Perpetual Bond with equity credit up to Rs 7000 crore.

    The Perpetual bond of will be up to USD 1 billion (approximately Rs 7000 crore) denominated in foreign currency subject to price, market conditions and other terms and conditions as acceptable, and with conditions allowing for full accounting equity credit and subject to all applicable laws including under ECB Regulations.

    Further, the Board approved the following terms of the Rights Issue:

    a) Rights Issue Price: Rs 220 per fully paid equity share (including a premium of Rs 215 per fully paid equity share over face value of Rs 5 per share); and

    b) Rights entitlement ratio: 19 shares for every 67 shares held by eligible shareholders as on the record date.

    Airtel has not been very effective in countering what it termed in one of its media releases Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm’s ‘predatory pricing’. The company has lost subscribers, wireless as well as wireless broad subscribers in the month of December 2018 as per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) latest monthly Telecom Reports. The company has not fared as well as in the past as per its quarterly report for the third quarter (Quarter ended December 31, 2018, Q3 2019).

  • Vodafone Idea plans new music streaming service

    Vodafone Idea plans new music streaming service

    MUMBAI: The largest telecom player of India is now planning to bet on a music streaming service. Vodafone Idea Ltd has plans in store to launch a new music streaming app while its biggest rivals already have ventured into the segment. The telco player will come up with the new app through partnership though did not reveal the name of the concerned company.

    At a time when all the telco players are upping their content game, the strategic move will definitely help Vodafone Idea going forward, especially to take on Bharti Airtel’s Wynk Music and Reliance Jio’s JioSaavn. With the entry of the new music streaming app, the existing Idea Music app will be shut down.

    “We are sunsetting the Idea Music app and we will come up very soon with an offering that will provide the best-in-class music streaming services, through a partnership that we are in the final stages of closing," Vodafone Idea chief executive officer Balesh Sharma said in a post-earnings conference call with analysts.

    The move could help the telco giant to retain subscribers also. Since the entry of Jio in the market, the ARPU of the operators has declined rapidly due to the ongoing tariff war. Two legit players including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea saw revenues from wireless business drop significantly over last two years.

    However, the competition for Vodafone Idea’s new entrant will not be easy. Along with Wynk Music and JioSaavn, there are other players like players Gaana, Hungama, Apple Music and Google Play Music. Moreover, Spotify is expected to enter the Indian market by March as per media reports.