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Tag: broadband services

  • OneOTT Intertainment CEO Yugal Kishore Sharma moves on

    OneOTT Intertainment CEO Yugal Kishore Sharma moves on

    Mumbai: OneOTT Intertainment (OIL) chief executive officer Yugal Kishore Sharma has chosen to move on after a successful six-year assignment. OneOTT Intertainment is the broadband subsidiary of Nxtdigital.

    Sharma will pursue new ventures in the field of sports and e-sports and nurture Hindustan FC, a football club he has been associated with for several years, said the statement. 

    Sharma has led and built up the broadband business of the media group in India’s fourth-largest private ISP (internet service provider) with over one million subscribers. A telecom industry veteran, Sharma has been instrumental in driving OneOTT Intertainment and building up the various verticals, especially the innovative and highly successful ISP strategic partnership aggregator model.

    “Yugal has played a pivotal role in the significant growth of OIL through his radical thinking, innovative strategies and evolving business models over the years,” said OneOTT Intertainment chairman AK Das. “Today, OIL is a highly respected brand across 150 cities and towns with a very high quality of service, with customer centricity at its core. Much of that credit is attributed to Yugal’s leadership from the front, propelling ONE Broadband into India’s top four private ISPs. We take this opportunity to thank him for his contribution to the growth of the company and wish him all the very best as he pursues his new ventures.”

  • Airtel 4G network now covers 15863 towns and villages across Assam

    Airtel 4G network now covers 15863 towns and villages across Assam

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s leading telecommunications services provider, today said that its 4G network now covers over 15863 towns and villages in Assam, empowering customers with best-in-class high speed mobile broadband services.

    Airtel, which is the #1 operator in Assam with over 8.4 million customers, recently announced a massive network expansion drive to further scale up its high speed data services across the region.

    In addition, as part of its acquisition of Telenor’s India operations, Airtel has added 6 MHz of spectrum in 1800 MHz band to its portfolio in Assam. This will further boost 4G network capacity in the state, complement the rollout of new sites and fiber and enhance customer experience in the form of even better indoor and outdoor coverage.

    Raveendra Desai, CEO, Assam and North East, Bharti Airtel said, “To bring more and more customers onto the digital highway, we are committed to further expanding our 4G services across Assam. The availability of budget friendly smartphones is driving a massive uptake of 4G data and Airtel aims to be the 4G network of choice of customers in Assam with its superior data experience. Airtel’s affordable plans and packs offer access to exciting digital services like music, movies, LIVE TV on mobile and we invite customers to experience our 4G network.” 

    All Airtel 4G customers enjoy free access to Airtel TV that offers over 10,000 movies and TV shows plus 375 LIVE TV channels on the go. Airtel has also been consistently rated as the fastest network in India by global speed measurement leader – Ookla. 

    Airtel offers the widest bouquet of mobile services (4G/3G/2G) in Assam backed by a wide distribution channel of over 39 thousand retail outlets that serves customers even in deep rural pockets. Airtel’s network now covers 30,000 towns and villages representing approximately 94% of the state’s population.   

  • ACT to invest Rs 7 bn in wireline infra, Rs 1 bn for Delhi

    MUMBAI: Atria Convergence Technologies, India’s third largest wired broadband services firm after BSNL (9.80 million subscribers) and Bharti Airtel (2.09 million), plans to invest up to Rs 7 billion this year to expand its presence and infrastructure across India, which will be funded through internal accruals and debt.

    The Bengaluru-based company, which has a presence in 11 cities, has been seeking to enter 3-4 cities and also expand presence in regions such as Delhi-NCR, PTI reported.

    ACT CEO Bala Malladi said that it was not about just setting up base in a city…the investment would include establishing infrastructure and also maintenance. Malladi said they were looking at strengthening their presence in the Delhi market and would also be expanding to Gurugram as there were good opportunities in these geographies, adding that the average data consumption on its network in Delhi was already higher compared to other cities. He added that ACT will invest Rs 1 billion over the next 24 months to expand its presence in the Delhi region.

    ACT, which started operations in Delhi some few months ago, has a crucial scale in cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. It had a turnover of Rs 13 billion at the end of March 2017. Of the 18 million wired broadband subscribers in India, ACT had 1.2 million subscribers in May 2017.

    The company had started its operations in the year 2000 as a cable TV service provider supported by investments from private equity firms TA Associates and True North.

    Malladi ruled out any impact on its business after the entry of players such as Reliance Jio, which offered affordable data plans. He said that wired broadband users typically had high consumption. The lowest speed ACT offered was 20 Mbps.

    Also Read: High-speed data services & on-demand bandwidth expectation prompt new telecom policy

    Broadband subs growth slows further, wireline broadband loses subs

    ACT still leads in wired sub addition, Idea & BSNL lose wireless subs

  • Ofcom to hold spectrum auction in 2016 with ?70 million reserve price

    Ofcom to hold spectrum auction in 2016 with ?70 million reserve price

    MUMBAI: UK communications regulator Ofcom will be releasing valuable new airwaves by holding a high-capcity spectrum auction that could be used to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband services. It has set reserve prices totalling ?70 million for the spectrum.

     

    The auction is planned to take place in early 2016 for the spectrum, which has been made available by the Ministry of Defence as part of a wider Government initiative to free up public sector spectrum for civil uses.

     

    A total of 190 MHz of high-capacity spectrum is being made available in two bands – 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz – which are particularly suited for high-speed mobile broadband services, because they can carry large amounts of data. This is equivalent to around three-quarters of the spectrum released by Ofcom through the 4G auction in 2013.

     

    Ofcom spectrum group director Philip Marnick said, “Spectrum is the essential resource, which fuels the UK’s wireless economy. This auction is an important step in ensuring that the UK has the wireless capability to deliver and support new technology. We’re responding to rapid change and innovation in the communications sector, which is placing greater demands on spectrum. Part of our plan to meet this demand is by making new spectrum available and allowing it to be used in a number of different ways.”

     

    More spectrum for mobile broadband

     

    There will not be a cap on the amounts bidders can buy. Ofcom believes that any cap could prevent a bidder from buying large blocks of adjacent spectrum. Large blocks have the potential to support very fast download speeds, meaning even faster mobile broadband for consumers, which helps pave the way for 5G.

     

    The auction is designed to be fair and transparent, enabling the spectrum to be awarded to those who can put it to the most efficient use in the best interests of consumers. Ofcom proposes to auction the spectrum in lots of 10 MHz for the 2.3 GHz band and 5 MHz for the 3.4 GHz band.

     

    Many existing mobile handsets from major manufacturers, including the Apple iPhone 6, HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy, are already compatible with the 2.3 GHz spectrum. The band is so far being used for high-speed 4G mobile broadband networks in ten countries outside Europe, including China, India and Australia.

     

    The 3.4 GHz band is currently being used for 4G wireless broadband in six countries including the UK, Canada and Spain.

     

    Planning for the future

    Demand for mobile data services is expected to rise considerably in the coming years. To address this, more spectrum is needed – together with new technology to use spectrum more efficiently, and networks of small wireless ‘cells’ to provide greater capacity over local areas.

     

    Ofcom supports industry and research groups to enable these developments and ensure the UK’s wireless infrastructure continues to play a central role in the growing digital economy.

  • DEN networks to use Alcatel-Lucent’s GPON tech for broadband services

    DEN networks to use Alcatel-Lucent’s GPON tech for broadband services

    MUMBAI : DEN Networks will deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s GPON and IP routers to enable DEN Networks to launch ultra-broadband access services in India.

     

    DEN Networks is offering services in the fast-growing broadband market, where cable and satellite pay-TV subscribers are estimated to rise to 175 million by 2019, from 139 million today. With a customer base 13 million cable TV service over 200 cities, DEN Networks plans to use fiber-optic access technology to expand its ‘DEN Boomband’ broadband service to 8.5 million city homes within three years.

     

    Since September 2015, Alcatel-Lucent has been deploying its GPON (gigabit passive optical networking) fiber-to-the-home, Ethernet aggregation and Broadband Network Gateway IP routing technologies with DEN Networks, delivering services to new customers as well as those already served by the existing DOCSIS-based network. In some areas of the network Alcatel-Lucent’s technology is providing backhaul connectivity, with the existing coaxial cable being used for ‘last-mile’ service delivery.

     

    Alcatel-Lucent is providing its GPON technology, which includes the 7360 Intelligent Service Access Manager (ISAM) FX, the 7368 Intelligent Services Aware Manager ONT and the 5520 Access Management System (AMS) to enable high-speed ultra-broadband access for homes and businesses using both fiber-to-the-home and fiber-to-the-node technologies to serve individual and multi-dwelling residences.

     

    Alcatel-Lucent will also provide its IP routing and switching portfolio to Den Networks. The 7210 Service Access Switch will provide layer three aggregation and the 7750 Service Routers will act as a broadband network gateway for residential services. Network management and subscriber level reporting will be provided by the 5620 Service Aware Manager and 5670 Reporting and Analysis Manager respectively.

     

    Pradeep Parameswaran of DEN Networks said, “We are committed to delivering the fastest high speed experience to our business and residential subscribers in India. Broadband is our key thrust area and we constantly strive to make the experience fast and consistent for our customers. With Alcatel-Lucent’s fiber and IP routing solutions we now extend our high-speed Internet connectivity and services superfast surfing experience to more people and businesses around the country.”

     

    Srini Sundararajan of Alcatel-Lucent said, “Working with the DEN Networks on an in-depth study and trials, we were able to show how our IP routing and GPON technology would help it scale to better meet the growing demands of their customers.”

  • Arasu to introduce broadband service

    Arasu to introduce broadband service

    MUMBAI: The state-run Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation has promised to offer broadband and other internet services. Making an announcement in the assembly under rule 110, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said that Arasu Cable was providing ‘high quality’ cable TV service to the people of the state, for Rs 70 per month.

     

    “Through cable operators, it (Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable Corporation) will provide broadband service at low prices. This will be offered by joining hands with those who have broadband licences,” she said while also announcing a new building worth Rs 40 crore for Tami Nadu State Data Centre which will have a space of 5,000 square feet space.

     

    A Near Line Disaster Recovery Centre will be established at a cost of Rs 5 crore to preserve and retrieve government data and an e-mail group will be created at a cost of Rs 1 crore for government officials to ensure safe and fast communication, said the chief minister.

     

    Jayalalithaa also said that cloud services and web-hosting services will be provided to students and young entrepreneurs at a low cost and Rs 50 lakh will be earmarked for this and an internet-based encyclopedia of Tamil arts and culture.

  • Marginal growth in broadband connectivity between August and September 2013

    Marginal growth in broadband connectivity between August and September 2013

    NEW DELHI: The total broadband subscriber base increased from 15.28 million at the end of August to 15.36 million at the end of September 2013, thus showing a monthly growth of 0.52 per cent.

    The yearly growth in broadband subscribers is 1.90 per cent during the last one year (September 2012 to September 2013).

    As on 30 September, there are 158 internet service providers (ISPs) which are providing broadband services in the country. 

    Out of these, 95 ISPs have provided broadband subscription data for the month of September 2013, for the rest of the ISPs data from previous month has been retained.

    The top five ISPs in terms of market share (based on subscriber base) are: BSNL (9.98 million), Bharti Airtel (1.44 million), MTNL (1.10 million), Hathway (0.37 million) and You Broadband (0.33 million).

  • Tata Skys Everywhere TV to go live on Sunday!

    Tata Skys Everywhere TV to go live on Sunday!

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky will change the way you watch television as it goes live with its latest innovation- ‘Everywhere TV’ from Sunday, 27th October, 2013. Currently, available on iOS platforms & soon to be available on Android, Everywhere TV is a unique offering by which Tata Sky subscribers will be able to watch (Live TV) and control (Catch up TV) their television services on the go. Consumers can now choose from a diverse selection of over 50 channels on a single platform instead of downloading and paying for multiple apps offering different channels or services. The excusive offering can be downloaded for free while streaming will be available for an admin fee of just Rs. 60 per month. The application will be accessible on 4G/3G/EDGE/Wi-Fi & broadband services irrespective of the mobile operator used.

  • Zee to buy out broadband services provider Pacenet

    Zee to buy out broadband services provider Pacenet

    MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) is buying out broadband services provider Broadband Pacenet, which is promoted by Jagjit Singh Kohli, Yogesh Shah and Yogesh Radhakrishnan.

    Kohli, who is the CEO of Siti cable, is an immediate beneficiary of the proposed demerger of India’s largest multi systems operator (in terms of size) and the cable related business of Zee Telefilms Ltd. He is being given a 2 per cent stake in the new company, Wire and Wireless (India) Ltd, which he will be heading.

    A detailed business plan is being prepared for Wire and Wireless which will venture into triple play services as well, Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra said, while addressing analysts here today.

    Pacenet will be merged with Wire and Wireless and Kohli’s partners will also be given shares in the new entity. “We have agreed to buy out Pacenet. The valuation is under progress. The existing shareholders of Pacenet will be given shares in Wire and Wireless,” Chandra said.

    Broadband Pacenet offers broadband services using the cable network infrastructure of its franchisees and claims to be servicing over 25,000 home subscribers apart from many corporates.