ITV

Category: Telecom

  • Spectrum bid amount touches Rs 1.09 lakh crore after 110 rounds

    Spectrum bid amount touches Rs 1.09 lakh crore after 110 rounds

    NEW DELHI: The bid amount for the spectrum auctions has touched Rs 109,000 crore at the end of 110 rounds, though bidding remains slow in the 2100 MHz band, which caters to 3G and also showed a dip for the 1800 MHz band.

     

    With 89 per cent of the spectrum having been provisionally allocated to bidders, about 11 per cent of the spectrum still remains. Competitive bidding will continue for the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    Active bidding continued on the eighteenth day with a majority of service areas going at a premium over reserve price. There was robust auction with 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas in 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

  • Spectrum bids touch Rs 1.07 lakh crore over weekend after Friday dip

    Spectrum bids touch Rs 1.07 lakh crore over weekend after Friday dip

    NEW DELHI: With six rounds on Friday and five on Saturday, the bid amount for the spectrum auctions has touched Rs 107,000 crore at the end of 97 rounds, but bidding appears to have slowed down in 2100 MHz which caters to 3G. 

     

    The result of this slow down was reflected on Friday when the bid amount dipped to Rs 105,000 crore from Rs 109,000 a day earlier.

     

    A Telecom ministry official told Indiantelevision.com, “In the auction design, over rounds, with increase in price sometimes lesser number of blocks are provisionally allocated at higher price, and thus the total amount may fluctuate a little. However, this may even out over the next few rounds of bidding.”

     

    With this, approximately 11 per cent of the spectrum still remains and so auction will continue for the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    Active bidding continued on the sixteenth day with a majority of service areas going at a premium over reserve price.

    There is robust auction with 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas in 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

     

  • Spectrum bid amount touches Rs 1.09 lakh crore; 11% spectrum available

    Spectrum bid amount touches Rs 1.09 lakh crore; 11% spectrum available

    NEW DELHI: The bid amount for the spectrum auctions has now touched Rs 109,000 crore at the end of 86 rounds on 19 March, even though bidding appears to have slowed down in 2100 MHz (catering to 3G) and 900 MHz.

     

    With this about 11 per cent of the spectrum still remains and hence auction will continue for the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    Active bidding was still on after six rounds were completed on the fourteenth day with a majority of service areas going at a premium over reserve price.

     

    There is robust auction with 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas in 1800 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

  • Spectrum bid continues over Rs 1.08 lakh crore; activity slow for 2100 & 900 MHz

    Spectrum bid continues over Rs 1.08 lakh crore; activity slow for 2100 & 900 MHz

    NEW DELHI: The bid amount for the spectrum auctions has now touched Rs 1.08 lakh crore at the end of 80 rounds on 18 March, even though bidding appears to have slowed down in 2100 MHz, which caters to 3G and 900 MHz. 

     

    With this, about 89 per cent of the spectrum has been provisionally allocated in the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.
     

    Active bidding was still on at the end of the 80th round with six rounds completed on the eleventh day with majority of service areas going at a premium over the reserve price. 

     

    There is robust auction with 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas in 1800 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

     

  • Spectrum bid amount continues over Rs 1.03 lakh crore; 3G band activity slows down

    Spectrum bid amount continues over Rs 1.03 lakh crore; 3G band activity slows down

    NEW DELHI: The bid amount for the spectrum auctions has now touched Rs 103,046 crore at the end of 67 rounds on 16 March, even though bidding appears to have slowed down in 2100 MHz, which caters to 3G. 

     

    With this, more than 87 per cent of the spectrum has been provisionally allocated in the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands now.

     

    Active bidding was still on at the end of the 67th round with six rounds completed on the eleventh day with majority of service areas going at a premium over reserve price.

     

    There is robust auction with 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas in 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

  • Spectrum bid amount crosses Rs 1.02 lakh crore; under 13% still available

    Spectrum bid amount crosses Rs 1.02 lakh crore; under 13% still available

    NEW DELHI: The bid amount for the spectrum auctions has now touched Rs 102,215 crore with just under 13 per cent spectrum still available for allocation.

     

    With this, over 87 per cent of the spectrum has been provisionally allocated in the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands now.

     

    Though the government claimed aggressive bidding was on at the end of the 61st round with six rounds completed on the tenth day, 14 March, the pace appears to have slowed down.

     

    The auction will continue in all bands with brisk bidding in 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    A majority of service areas are going at a premium over reserve price. With 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas, competitive bidding is expected to continue today.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

  • Bid amount for spectrum continues to rise above Rs 1 lakh crore; 13% still available

    Bid amount for spectrum continues to rise above Rs 1 lakh crore; 13% still available

    NEW DELHI: The bid amount for the spectrum auctions continues to be above the figure of Rs 1 lakh crore with around 13 per cent spectrum still available for allocation.

     

     With this around 87 per cent of the spectrum has been provisionally allocated in the 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands now.

     

     Aggressive bidding was still on at the end of the 55th round with six rounds completed till 13 March. The bid amount figure had been recorded at Rs 1,02,000 crore yesterday evening.

     

    The auction will continue in all bands with brisk bidding in 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

    A majority of service areas are going at a premium over reserve price. With 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas, competitive bidding is expected to continue.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction, though the Communications and IT Ministry sources had later predicted that it would get close to Rs 1 lakh crore.

  • Govt earns about Rs 96,000 crore in telecom spectrum auction; 16% spectrum still available

    Govt earns about Rs 96,000 crore in telecom spectrum auction; 16% spectrum still available

    NEW DELHI: Approximately Rs 96,000 crore has already been committed in the sale of about 84 per cent of the spectrum provisionally allocated to bidders. Around 43 rounds have taken place in the auction of spectrum in 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz Bands with six rounds today.

     

    As spectrum is still available, auction recommenced this morning. The bidding is taking place in all bands. Brisk bidding was seen on seventh day of bidding, with activity requirement set at 100 per cent.

     

    There is aggressive bidding going on in 1800 MHz, 900 MHz and 800 MHz bands.

     

     A majority of service areas are going at a premium over reserve price. With 100 per cent activity requirement and activity in new service areas, competitive bidding is expected to continue.

     

    The government had initially expected to reap around Rs 49,000 crore from the auction.

  • Day four of telecom spectrum bids brings in Rs 86,000 crore

    Day four of telecom spectrum bids brings in Rs 86,000 crore

    MUMBAI: While the government had set aside a reserve base price of Rs 49,000 crore for the ongoing auction of wireless spectrum, it has already received a massive Rs 86,000 crore from a total of 24 bids till 7 March. While some spectrum slots saw strong competitive bidding, other slots are yet to see the bidding, according to reports.

     

    The spectrum auction is being conducted for airwaves in the 2100, 1800, 900 and 800 MHz bands. The validity of the spectrum is for a period of 20 years.

     

    When compared to last year’s February 2014 auction, the government had received total bids of over Rs 62,000 crore. In the ongoing auction the first day itself collected Rs 60,000 crore!

     

    This figure further rose to Rs 66,000 crore on 5 March, followed by Rs 77,000 on 6 March. Day four on 7 March meanwhile saw bids touching a massive Rs 86,000 crore. This figure is easily expected to touch to Rs 1 lakh crore on 9 March. The amount will vary depending on how much these telecom companies are willing to spend to hold on their present spectrum in the vital 900 MHz band. Companies will also keep an eye on 3G spectrum in 2,100 MHz band. The bands of 2,100 MHz is up on sale with a reserve price of Rs 3,705 crores per MHz. The two bands that may witness the highest bids are 800 MHz with reserve price of Rs 3,646 crores per MHz and 900 MHz with reserve price of Rs 3,980 crores. Besides, the government has fixed the reserve price at Rs. 2,191 crores for 1,800 MHz band.

     

    According to a statement by Fitch Ratings, telcos are likely to cough at least $13 billion in the auctions – over 75 per cent of which is likely to be contributed by the top-four telcos i.e Bhararti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and the newest entrant Reliance Jio.

     

    The top-three telcos – Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular could cough up around $2.5 to $4.5 billion each to renew their expiring spectrum in six, seven and nine Indian circles respectively. On the other hand, Tata Teleservices and Uninor may either bid for few 3G frequencies or try and broaden the range of their 2G spectrum. Idea has been pushed to the wall clearly as it needs to retain its existing spectrum, which is expiring in circles that contribute around 70 per cent of its annual revenue.

     

    Similar revenue contributes 45 per cent and 35 per cent of annual Indian revenue for Vodafone and Bharti, respectively. If these companies want to continue offering their services it is mandatory for them to bid for their spectrum as their permit is expiring in 2015-2016.

     

    The ambitious Reliance Jio project, part of Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Industries, which plans to roll out its services in 2015 with an investment budget of $12 billion, is likely to fill its spectrum gaps in the 1,800MHz band. The Fitch report feels Jio will probably focus on data services using “long-term evolution” technology, with its ownership of 1,800MHz spectrum in 14 circles and a pan-India spectrum in 2,300MHz. However, as occasionally seen in the earlier auctions, Reliance Jio could push up the spectrum price in 900MHz for other telcos, if it chooses to do so, as the auction mechanism hides the identities of participants.

     

    According to data by the Department of Telecommunications, Assam is the hot favourite with access demand in three circles it is available. Gujarat, Maharashtra, the North East, Punjab and Odisha circles are most sought after in the 800 MHz segment while West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh circles are a hit in the 900 MHz segment.

     

    The total spectrum that the government put up for auction is 103.57 MHz in the 800 MHz band, 177.8 MHz in the 900 MHz band, 99.2 MHz in the 1800 MHz band and 85 MHz in the 2100 MHz band.

     

    The eight telcos battling it out are Bharati Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Telewings Communications (Uninor), Aircel, Tata Teleservices, and Reliance Jio.

  • Sistema Shyam TeleServices to launch innovative services

    Sistema Shyam TeleServices to launch innovative services

    KOLKATA: Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd (SSTL), the telecom services provider under the MTS brand, aims to launch innovative services early this year for smart phones. It is looking at launching devices, which can act as chargers as well as wireless internet for the smart phone users.

    Also, the data-led brand, had witnessed upwards of around 100 per cent increase in online marketing spent in the calendar year 2014 as compared to that last year 2013.

    “SSTL is looking at launching devices which can act as a charger as well as wireless internet for the smart phone users. Test phase is on,” said MTS India head of marketing and communications Gaurav Kackar.

    On the online marketing spent, without quantifying the budget Kackar, explained that if in the corresponding period the company spent Rs 100, around 20 per cent was dedicated for online advertisement spent and last year, it was increased to around 50 per cent. “We have almost doubled our share on online marketing spend,” he said.

    Also, the Facebook page of MTS brand has more than two million fans, he said.

    MTS expects surge in data traffic. “SSTL expects strong data growth over its networks,” he said.

    The company foresees exceptional data growth onto its networks. The Indian unit of Russia’s Sistema JSFC that operates under the MTS brand operates in nine out of 22 telecom circles in India.

    MTS, mainly a prepaid data services, has made its mark too when it comes to post paid services. “In the last three months, post paid growth has almost doubled,” he said.

    The company has, of late, shifted its focus to data-centric services such as video streaming.

    Postpaid consumers pay Rs 999 instead of Rs 1,499 for the MTS MBlaze Ultra Wi-Fi dongle. Additionally they can also opt for 40GB data pack at Rs 999, among various other offers, concluded Kackar.