ITV

Category: Telecom

  • Telecom stakeholders’ views sort over MWA and MWB spectrum allocation and pricing

    Telecom stakeholders’ views sort over MWA and MWB spectrum allocation and pricing

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 28 March asked stakeholders in the telecom sector to give their views on whether excess spectrum should be withdrawn from existing telecom service providers and whether what should be the criteria for determining this excess usage.

     

    Following a reference from the Department of Telecom (DoT), the regulator issued a consultation paper on the issue of Microwave Access and Backbone (MWA/MWB), and has sought the views by 21 April with counter-comments by 28 April.

     

    TRAI has sought to know the number of Microwave Access and Backbone (MWA/MWB) carriers that should be assigned to a TSP deploying 2G technology only, 3G technology only, BWA technology only, both 2G and 3G technologies, 2G and BWA technologies and 2G, 3G and BWA technologies.

     

    The charging of MWA and MWB carriers is regulated by the AGR based annual spectrum usage charges notified in the DoT’s orders of 3 November 2006, its amendments dated 10 November 2008 and 19 February 2009. However, these orders were set aside by a judgment of the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) of 22 April 2012 and are now sub-judice in view of an appeal by the government before the Supreme Court. As an interim arrangement, the DoT has issued guidelines in respect of allotment of MWA carriers for BWA services through its order of 16 March 2012. TRAI had been asked to give its recommendations on certain issues in a letter sent by the DoT on 26 November 2012.

     

    According to TRAI, Microwave transmission refers to the technology of transmitting information using radio waves. Microwave technology is widely deployed in mobile communications to provide point-to-point (PTP) Radio Frequency (R.F.) links in mobile backhaul as well as in the backbone network. Mobile backhaul is that portion of the network infrastructure that provides interconnectivity between the access and core networks. The backbone network is used to interconnect different nodes situated at different geographical locations.

     

    For PTP links, microwave frequencies are generally assigned in blocks of 2×28 MHz, known as microwave carriers. There are two types of microwave carriers viz. Microwave Access (MWA) Carriers and Microwave Backbone (MWB) Carriers. 

     

    TRAI wants to know from stakeholders the number of MWA/MWB carriers that should be assigned to TSPs in case of 2G, 3G and BWA at the start of their services [at beginning of rolling of services].

     

    Some of the other questions to which views have been sought are:

     

    1.      What should be the preferred basis of assignment of MWA/MWB carriers to the TSPs i.e. ‘exclusive basis assignment’ or ‘link-to-link based assignment’?
     

    2.      In case ‘exclusive basis’ assignment is preferred, whether MWA and MWB carriers should be assigned administratively or through auction.
     

    3. In case ‘link-to-link basis’ assignment is preferred, how the carrier assignment for different links should be carried out, particularly in nearby locations?
     

    4. Considering the fact that different TSPs may require additional carriers at different point of time, what should be the assignment criteria for allocation of additional carriers for MWA and MWB?

     

    5. How can it be ensured that spectrum carriers assigned are used optimally and the TSPs are encouraged to move towards the OFC?

     

    6. Should an upfront charge be levied on the assignment of MWA or MWB carriers, apart from the annual spectrum charges?

     

    7. What should be the pricing mechanism for MWA and MWB carriers? Should the annual spectrum charges be levied as a percentage of AGR or on link-by-link basis or a combination of the two?

     

    8. In case of percentage AGR based pricing, is there any need to change the existing slabs prescribed by the DoT in 2006 and 2008?

     

    9. In case link-by-link based charging mechanism is adopted then:

    (a) Should the spectrum be priced differently for different MW spectrum bands (6GHz/7GHz/13GHz/15GHz/18GHz/21 GHz/26GHz/28GHz/32GHz/42 GHz etc) and the formula for such charges

    (b) What are the factors that should appear in the formula?

     

    10. Should the option of assignment of MWA carriers in all the spectrum bands in 6-42 GHz range be explored in line with other countries? What are the likely issues in its assignment MWA carriers in these additional spectrum bands?

     

    11. In your opinion, what is the appropriate time for considering assignment of MWA carriers in higher frequency bands viz. E-band and V-band?

     

    12. Should E-band be fully regulated or there should be light touch regulations?

     

    13. What charging/pricing mechanism would be appropriate for these bands?

  • UTStarcom enters into contract with BSNL to help new generation networks

    UTStarcom enters into contract with BSNL to help new generation networks

    NEW DELHI: UTStarcom has announced a $24 million contract with Indian telecoms BSNL to supply multi-service access network (MSAN) equipment and support design, engineering and installation.

     

    The public-sector company, BSNL is upgrading its network to offer next generation multi-media services to its customers and this entails migrating existing PSTN/ISDN customers to next generation network (NGN) to enable supplementary services using Internet Protocol (IP) along with basic telephony.

     

    The upgrade will cover broadband lines for a wide swath of residential and enterprise customers across western and northern regions of India that include large urban centers such as Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakand and Chattisgargh.

     

    Recently, the Chinese telecom network vendor Huawei announced its NGN switch deal with BSNL to migrate its traditional telephone exchanges to IP based NGN. The IP transition will be in phases and will cover all major telecom circles of BSNL.

    As part of the NGN deal, BSNL will migrate four million existing PSTN subscribers to IMS platform and offer next generation services besides voice, such as video, IPTV, IP-Centrex and MMVC. One million lines will be replaced in Phase-1 and 3 million lines in Phase-2 to migrate existing four million PSTN subscribers to IMS (IP Multi-media Subsystem) platform.

     

    UTStarcom is working with Indian government-owned telecom equipment vendor ITI for the BSNL network upgrade.

    BSNL chairman and MD R K Upadhyay said: “UTStarcom has been a reliable partner in the past, and we have deployed a large number of their broadband access products on our network.”

    UTStarcom India claims that it already holds 35 percent share for broadband Internet network equipment.”

     

    There are approximately 15 million wireline broadband customers in India, of which UTStarcom has supplied more than six million DSL ports.

     

    UTStarcom’s customers in India include telecom service providers, such as Bharti Airtel and Tata Communications.

    Recently, UTStarcom launched a major sales and marketing initiative to promote its latest broadband products to carriers in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

  • NSN study shows 87% jump in Indian mobile data traffic in 2013

    NSN study shows 87% jump in Indian mobile data traffic in 2013

    New Delhi: There was a jump of 98 per cent in data traffic in India during 2013, generated by 2G and 3G services.

     

    According to the MBit Index study by Nokia Solutions and Networks, an annual report on mobile broadband performance in India, 3G data traffic leapt by 146 per cent, surpassing the world average that is roughly doubling every year. 2G data traffic continues to stabilize, growing by 59 per cent over the same period. 

     

    Mobile data traffic generated by 3G services more than doubled in India in 2013, a rate much higher than growth seen in other parts of the world where mobile broadband data is expanding at 100 per cent on average.

     

    This trend is in line with NSN’s Technology Vision 2020 that mobile networks will need to be readied to profitably deliver one gigabyte of personalized data per user per day by 2020.

     

    NSN’s MBit Index also shows that 3G users continue to consume more data on average than 2G users. In December 2013, a 3G user consumed 532 megabyte of data compared to 146 megabyte consumption over 2G. In some of the major urban centers the average data consumption per user is as high as one gigabyte per month, indicating the rising popularity and uptake of 3G across India.

     

    In addition, premium tariff reductions in 3G services in early 2013 led to an increased migration of high end 2G customers to 3G.

     

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has divided the market into 23 service areas referred to as “circles” (roughly in line with the country’s 28 states). The circles are further divided into four categories: “metro” circles covering four major cities, “Category A” circles for regions with other large cities, “Category B” circles covering regions with smaller towns, and “Category C” circles for rural areas.

     

    Analysis by circles shows that category A is the highest contributor of 3G in India, driving half of all mobile data in the country. 3G mobile data consumption grew by a record of 185 per cent in 2013, a remarkable increase considering that these circles had registered the highest 3G payload the year before. In category B, 3G data payload surpassed that of metros with 3G now accounting for 31 per cent of the total traffic. Both categories indicate a big demand of high- speed services, giving operators a huge opportunity to offer superior connectivity to their customers.

     

    However, further research in ‘Top 50’ cities in all category circles reveals that 3G coverage in India is still limited and requires focused investments to achieve the data performance users demand. In category A for instance, the analysis of the leading 50 cities where 3G has been launched shows that additional 10 per cent to 15 per cent 3G sites are needed to match the existing 2G coverage. In category B there is a gap of 15 per cent to 20 per cent sites. Moreover, there are still some cities among the top 50 where 3G has not yet been launched. On average, 20- 25 per cent additional sites are needed to cover the cities that are not yet covered in category A and B.

     

    “India is recording mobile broadband data growth figures higher than most other markets,” said NSN India Head Sandeep Girotra. “With the recent spectrum auctions paving the way for acceleration of mobile broadband penetration in the country, there is great opportunity for India to create a world-class infrastructure and improve the lives of millions of Indians. This can be achieved through a wider 3G rollout as well as through selected introduction of LTE technologies and the modernization of existing GSM networks.” 

  • TRAI wants auction of 800 MHz spectrum in 1.25 MHz block sizes

    TRAI wants auction of 800 MHz spectrum in 1.25 MHz block sizes

    NEW DELHI: While noting that the entire available spectrum in the 800 MHz band should be put to auction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said Spectrum in the 800 MHz band should be auctioned in a block size of 1.25 MHz.

    In its recommendations on the ‘Reserve Price for Auction of Spectrum in the 800 MHz Band’, TRAI said at least one chunk of contiguous 5 MHz spectrum (that is, four carriers) should be carved out before the auction. The carrier reassignment, if required, may be carried out amongst the existing TSPs in the 800 MHz band to make at least four contiguous carriers available.

    Alternatively, the NIA for the auction may clearly stipulate that only contiguous blocks of 5 MHz will be sold. However, the reconfiguration of the frequencies should be worked out while auction is underway so that the reassignment is possible to be effected on completion of the auction.

    The Department of Telecommunications in a letter on 12 December had sought TRAI’s recommendations on reserve price for 800 MHz band in all the service areas. In this context, TRAI had issued a Consultation Paper on 30 December on “Valuation and Reserve Price of Spectrum” raising specific issues for consideration of stakeholders. The key issues raised were quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, spectrum block-size and methods to be used for valuation and estimation of reserve price of spectrum. Written comments and counter comments were invited from the stakeholders by 15 January and 22 January respectively. 

    The comments and counter comments received from the stakeholders were placed on TRAI’s website www.trai.gov.in. An Open House Discussion was conducted by TRAI with all the stakeholders on 27 January at New Delhi.

    A new entrant (that is, a TSP) that does not have any spectrum holding in the 800 MHz band must bid for a minimum of four carriers. However, an existing TSP – a TSP having some spectrum holding in the 800 MHz band – should be permitted to bid for a minimum one block of spectrum. New entrants must be assigned the earmarked contiguous carriers only.

    The Authority recommends that the reserve price for the forthcoming auction of 800 MHz spectrum should be fixed at 80% of the average valuation. 

    The recommended reserve prices for the forthcoming auction are tabulated below:

    Table Reserve Price per MHz in 800 MHz Band

     

  • Over a million telephones of telemarketers disconnected till January: Deora

    Over a million telephones of telemarketers disconnected till January: Deora

    NEW DELHI: While the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has so far received Rs 1.52 crore as penalty from registered telemarketers, the government has admitted that Unsolicited Commercial Communications (SMSs or calls) from persons not registered as telemarketers has not ceased.

     

    Such individuals deliberately masquerade themselves as “normal subscribers” even though their primary purpose for obtaining telecom resources is for telemarketing activities, according to Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora. However, he felt TRAI’s regulatory interventions have largely tempered the menace of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC).  

     

    A total of 1.4 million telephones of unregistered telemarketers have been disconnected till 31 January and 1,80,000 Unregistered Telemarketers were blacklisted for two years till 31 January.

    With the implementation of these measures, the number of complaints regarding receipt of UCC from unregistered telemarketers has come down from around 45,000 per month in the month of August 2012 to around 12,000 per month in January 2014. 

     

    The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation 2010 has laid down a revised framework for UCC. These regulations came into force with effect from 27 September 2011. The National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC) has been renamed National Customer Preference Register (NCPR). The Telemarketers after registration from TRAI get permission to access the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR). 

     

    TRAI has been continuously reviewing this regulation and accordingly issued fourteen amendments to the regulation and a number of directions to make the regulatory framework more effective and stringent. The regulation provides for imposition of penalty against registered telemarketers, to be recovered from the security deposit with the service provider.

     

    The regulator has been taking various steps to rein in unregistered telemarketers from sending unsolicited commercial communications to customers registered in the National Customer Preference Register.

    The recent initiatives taken by TRAI under this regulation include preventing unregistered telemarketers from misusing concessional SMS packs or tariff plans for sending bulk promotional SMSs, a price restraint has been placed on sending of more than one hundred SMS per day per SIM. The subscriber is free to send SMSs beyond this number, however, all such SMSs sent beyond one hundred SMS per day per SIM shall be charged at a rate not lower than 50 ‘paise’ per SMS.

    To restrict unregistered telemarketers from sending bulk promotional SMSs using software applications, Access Providers have been mandated to put in place a solution, which will ensure that no commercial SMSs are sent having same or similar characters or strings or variants from any source or number. The solution will ensure that no more than 200 SMSs with such similar ‘signature’ are sent in an hour.

    For increasing consumer awareness and to caution against misuse, Access Providers have been mandated to send SMS to all customers on periodic basis, advising them not to send any commercial communications and informing them about the consequences of misuse.

    The unregistered telemarketer’s number will be disconnected and his name and address will be blacklisted for a period of two years. No telecom resources shall be provided to such subscribers for two years.

  • Bharti Airtel set to acquire Loop for Rs 700 crore

    Bharti Airtel set to acquire Loop for Rs 700 crore

    MUMBAI: India’s largest cellular carrier, Bharti Airtel, is set to acquire small mobile operator Loop Mobile for about Rs 300 crore, according to reports. This would be the first merger in six years in an industry long seen as ripe for consolidation.

     

    Loop, which operates only in Mumbai with about three million subscribers, was up for grabs as a potential acquisition as its spectrum licence lapses on 28 November.

     

    If Bharti completes the acquisition it will overtake Vodafone India and become the market leader in terms of customer numbers, although not by revenue in Mumbai – which is one of the biggest cellphone markets in India.

     

    The deal – if it happens – would also see Bharti take on Loop’s debt of nearly Rs 400 crore.

     

    Industry consolidation has been slow to take place in the world’s second-largest cellular market due to challenging merger rules, including a new requirement that the buyer pay separately for the target company’s airwaves based on prices determined at an auction.

     

    Loop Telecom, an associate company of Loop Mobile, lost its permits in 21 of India’s 22 teleco service areas after the Supreme Court order on the 2008 wireless permits. Loop has denied any wrongdoing.

     

    Loop’s main investor is Dubai-based Khaitan Holdings, whose founders are related to the founding family of Indian conglomerate Essar Group. Essar owns over a per cent in Loop.

  • Airtel and Apple launch India’s first 4G on mobile

    Airtel and Apple launch India’s first 4G on mobile

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa along with Apple recently launched India’s first 4G on mobile. Airtel customers in Bengaluru on Apple iPhone 5s or 5c will be able to experience 4G on their mobile at the current 3G prices for a ‘FLYing’ internet browsing experience while on the move. Customers have to just change their existing SIM to a 4G SIM to start enjoying 4G on mobile without any need to migrate from their existing data plan.

     
    Airtel mobile customers both prepaid and postpaid can experience 4G on mobile to experience never before capabilities like high definition video streaming with zero buffering, download 10 movies in less than 30 minutes, upload full holiday albums in less than five minutes by uploading two high quality photos per second and connect multiple devices without any experience constraint. 3G customers in Bengaluru on iPhone 5s or 5c can start enjoying 4G speeds at same price points as their existing 3G plan/pack.

    Customers on 2G/GPRS data plans/packs can also opt for any of the 3G plans/packs available and enjoy 4G speeds. In addition to these plans, for heavy data users, Airtel also announced the launch of a new 4G plan giving customers 10 GB 4G data for Rs 1000. While data browsing will be on 4G network, voice calls will be routed on 2G/3G seamlessly with the CSFB (circuit switched fall back) technology.

     
    Bharti Airtel India director – consumer business Srini Gopalan said: “Airtel has always set the technology trends in India and was the first operator to introduce 4G to the country. The Information Technology capital of India saw the advent of 4G in 2012 and today we are proud to announce the launch of the much awaited Airtel 4G services on mobile in partnership with Apple. We will together give customers in Bengaluru the power to upgrade to cutting edge 4G LTE technology at no additional cost. As a brand we are committed to enriching lives of millions by giving them the best user experience and invite our data savvy customers in the city to enjoy this world class data experience.”

     

  • Telecom spectrum auction further delayed

    Telecom spectrum auction further delayed

    NEW DELHI: The spectrum auction which has been put off from time to time will begin on 3 February 2014. The Department of Telecom (DoT) had been asked to give clarifications to a number of questions from mobile phone companies like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India on spectrum usage charges, option of withdrawing from auction and availability of contiguous spectrum but there is still no clarity on these issues.

    According to a notice issued today, the DoT will now give clarifications on the concerns raised by service providers on 2 January. The department has also extended the last date for operators to submit their applications to bid in the auction to 15 January.

    While DoT will announce the pre-qualification of bidders by 25 January, bidders will also be given an option to withdraw their applications, according to the changes in the auction schedule. Service providers had objected to DoT’s move to remove the option of withdrawing their bids, as was allowed in the last auction.

    Operators will now be allowed to withdraw their bids by 27 January and the final list of bidders will be announced on 29 January. A mock auction will be conducted over 30 and 31 January.

    Leading operators like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India had warned DoT in a pre-bid conference held last week that they could stay away from the upcoming bandwidth auctions if the government continued with the present cascading spectrum usage charge (SUC) regime, instead of moving to a flat fee structure of 3 per cent.

    The government levies SUC between 3-8 per cent of revenue earned by telecom companies from telecom services, depending on the quantum of airwaves held.

    The telecom department is set to auction 403 Mhz in 1800 Mhz and 46 Mhz in the 900 Mhz bands in the next round of auctions, beginning 23 January. The government aims to raise Rs 40,874.5 crore from spectrum revenue this fiscal year ending 31 March 2014, including one-time spectrum fee, and has its hopes pinned on this round to raise funds to limit its budget deficit.

    Operators stayed away from the last two rounds held in November 2012 and March 2013 citing very high reserve prices and low spectrum availability. The government has set the reserve price in 1800 Mhz at Rs 1,765 per unit for pan-India airwaves, 25 per cent lower than the last auctions.

    DoT also lowered the reserve price for Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata circles in 900 Mhz band by 53 per cent from last auctions to Rs 360 crore, Rs 328 crore and Rs 125 crore respectively.

  • Airtel releases a report on the mobile attitude of people in 2013

    Airtel releases a report on the mobile attitude of people in 2013

    MUMBAI: Mobile phones have certainly made our lives very easy. From surfing the details of the favourite celebrities and looking for the chartbusters to downloading wallpapers and popular songs, mobile users are doing everything over the phone.

    And keeping this in mind one of the leading telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel, which has operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, released Airtel Mobitude2013 – the 5th edition of the Indian annual survey that captures the mobile attitude of customers highlighting their preferences.

    The report reveals that mobile TV, Bollywood, Hello Tunes, Re 1 entertainment store and gaming ruled customer preferences. Mobile TV witnessed the highest traction this year with a whopping 400 per cent plus jump in viewership over last year. Viewers were glued to entertainment channels most to catch up on all their favorite TV shows and this witnessed an unbeatable traction of over 800 per cent over sports and about 200 per cent over news.

    Bharti Airtel (India) chief marketing officer consumer business, Govind Rajan said in a release: “Today, while the mobile phone is an indispensible 24X7 companion for customers across age groups and geographies, each individual’s preferences and usage requirements differ. Mobitude captures these trends to bring out the true reflection of the customer’s likings and usage habits. The verdict this year has interesting findings of the preferences of more than 194 million customers across the country!”

    Interestingly, the preference of viewers shifted in terms of Bollywood content. In the imagery downloads category, heartthrob Sunny Leone won hearts to top the charts beating Bollywood divas including Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. Breaking the records of the past five years, the young newbies in the industry dethroned the most popular ‘Khans’. Bold spirited actors – Sunny Leone, Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey emerged as the most downloaded, surpassing the total downloads of their male counterparts. While Ranbir Kapoor tops charts in the male category in the imagery download, Bollywood’s hottest celebrity Katrina Kaif who topped charts for four consecutive years is out of the top five league. On the other hand, Aamir Khan continued to be out of top 5 for the fourth consecutive year.

    In Hollywood, the beautiful preggies Megan Fox and Drew Barrymore made it to the top downloaded in the female category and unlike their Bollywood counterparts, Hollywood hunks Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise are defying age to top the download charts.

    In terms of songs, Indians preferred romantic songs over the filmy item numbers. Customers are now humming the romantic number Tum Hi Ho of the movie Aashiqui2 making it the most popular download in the Bollywood Hello Tune category. Other songs like Jeene Laga Hoon from Ramaiya Vastavaiya with newbies in lead roles trend more over songs with popular celebrities. Even Priyanka Chopra’s hit international track Exotic was among the most downloaded English songs.

    In the sports category, Sachin Tendulkar ruled charts with a whopping 124 per cent jump in download compared to last year followed by Roger Federer. Our other men in blue – Dhoni and Yuvraj however were bowled out from the Top five league to give way for women power with Serena Williams, Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal who joined the wagon this year.

    Driven by the popularity of the Airtel Re 1 entertainments store, data usage continues to grow at a fast pace. The number of data users jump 124 per cent from last year and data consumption jumped 220 per cent.

  • Ministry of home affairs spikes FDI hike in telecom, media

    Ministry of home affairs spikes FDI hike in telecom, media

    Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s proposal to increase foreign direct investment in the information and broadcasting and telecom sectors may never see the light of day.

    The reason: the ministry of home affairs has not agreed to increase FDI caps and/or entry routes in respect to “aviation, telecom and information and broadcasting sectors on account of their sensitivity and security concerns,” Minister of State for Home R P N Singh said in reply to a written question in parliament today, according to agency reports.

    Singh said the Home Ministry has also raised issues pertaining to “investments of concern” and in respect of different categories of investors and investments; source of investments and instruments of investment.

    Trai had earlier this year recommended hiking FDI caps for news television (TV) and private FM radio services to 49% from the current 26%. It had also proposed a FDI hike to 100 per cent (from 74 per cent currently) in distribution and carriage services such as direct-to-home (DTH) TV, cable networks and mobile TV.