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Tag: broadband

  • Intelsat & Dalkom partner to expand broadband & DTH in Africa & Middle East

    MUMBAI: Intelsat S.A., an operator of the world’s first Globalized Network and leader in integrated satellite communications, recently announced that Dalkom Somalia signed an agreement for satellite services that will expand its broadband enterprise and direct-to-home (DTH) services in East and Central Africa and the Middle East.

    Intelsat network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Dalkom Somalia has grown into one of today’s fastest-growing telecom companies offering next-generation solutions for broadband, connectivity, cloud computing, managed services, satellite services and internet services for businesses, wholesale and consumers segments.

    “Dalkom has offered satellite services in the past, but the versatility of the Intelsat 17 satellite convinced them that moving to Intelsat was the best option for meeting its expansion goals”

    Under a multi-year agreement, Dalkom, a privately owned operator based in Somalia, will incorporate Ku-band satellite services provided by Intelsat 17 to extend services currently delivered by its fiber network. This includes expanding broadband enterprise networks into countries such as South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the Middle East. Dalkom will also add DTH services to its portfolio in Somalia. Intelsat 17, located at 66° East, is part of Intelsat’s video neighborhood in the Indian Ocean region.

    “We have a strong terrestrial fiber network, but our opportunities to expand into new regions and capitalize on new opportunities were limited,” said Mohamed Jama, CEO of Dalkom. “By adding Intelsat’s satellite expertise to our network, we can expand our enterprise services into regions where terrestrial technology cannot provide services. Intelsat 17 will also allow us to capitalize on Intelsat’s media distribution knowledge to introduce DTH services for customers. This makes Dalkom the first company to offer these bundled services in Somalia, offering our customers a one stop shop for communication solutions.”

    “Dalkom has offered satellite services in the past, but the versatility of the Intelsat 17 satellite convinced them that moving to Intelsat was the best option for meeting its expansion goals,” said Brian Jakins, Intelsat’s Vice President, Africa. “The ability to deliver broadband enterprise and DTH services via the same platform provides easy access to new markets and customers without worrying about network reach and reliability. This allows Dalkom to focus on growing its business. Our satellite platform will also complement its fiber services by serving as an instantly available back-up to protect against any service interruptions.”

  • Change in provisions for bad debt reduces Ortel profits

    BENGALURU: The Bibhu Prasad Rath led Ortel Communications Limited (Ortel) reported less than one tenth profit after tax (PAT) for the year ended 31 March 2017 (FY-17) at Rs 1.43 crore (0.69 percent margin of Total Revenue or TIO) as compared to the Rs 11.93 crore (6.1 percent margin of TIO). Ortel reported 5.6 percent growth in total revenue at Rs 207.21 crore as compared to the Rs 196.29 crore for FY-16.

    During 2017, the company has changed the basis of estimating the provision for doubtful receivables from retail customers. Because it has ventured into new geographies, the company has now made provision for doubtful retail receivables based on the management’s best estimate as compared to the previous practise of making provisions for receivables for more than 6 months. The company has provided for Rs 24.9 crore in FY-17 as compared to Rs 16 crore in FY-16. In its earnings presentation, the company has shown a longer period for receivable days for 2017 at 115 days as compared to 61 days in the case of 2016.

    Other factors that affected the company’s profitability in FY-17 were lower Average Revenue per User (APRU) for Ortel’s cable (Rs 147 in FY-17 as compared to Rs 151 in FY-16) as well as broadband businesses (Rs 375 in FY-17 as compared to Rs 398 in FY-16).  

    Further, the company’s broadband bandwith cost more than doubled to Rs 17 crore in FY-17 from Rs 8.32 crore in the previous year which Ortel says is a result of higher intercity carrying costs for expansion of digital services.

    Ortel’s cable subscriber base in FY-17 increased to 7,50,471 from 6,28,710 in FY-16. Broadband subscriber base in FY-17 increased to 73,087 from 72,482 in FY-16.

    Ortel’s revenue growth was due to 22 percent growth in Cable TV revenues in FY-17 to Rs 159.6 crore from Rs 130.5 crore in FY-16 while Broadband revenues reported a growth of 7 percent at Rs 35.3 crore in FY-17 from Rs 32.9 crore in FY-16. EBIDTA for fiscal 2017 was 55.1 crore as compared to Rs 70.3 crore in the previous year.

    Total expenditure for FY-17 increased 13.5 percent higher at Rs 205.78 crore as compared to Rs 181.30 crore in FY-16. Programming cost increased 2.5 percent in FY-17 to Rs 38.45 crore as compared to Rs 37.51 crore in FY-16. Employee Benefits Expense in FY-17 increased 9.2 percent to Rs 24.56 crore from Rs 22.50 crore in FY-16.

    Company speak:

    Ortel CEO Rath said, “Second half of FY2017 has been a challenging period for the Company with key operating parameters performing below our expectations. However, I am happy to share that we have reported some improvement during Q4 and the management’s thrust in the coming quarters will be to significantly enhance the overall operational performance.
    We have sustained the positive EBITDA momentum in the Non-Odisha Markets. As we consolidate our new subscriber base in relatively new states like Andhra and Telangana and improve key metrics, we hope to continue delivering similar results.

    We have consciously slowed inorganic acquisitions as we look to first demonstrate the strength of owning and controlling the ‘last mile’ from the existing subscriber base. So on the back of our exceptional ‘last mile’ business model, we anticipate a marked improvement in financial and operational performance in FY18.”

     

  • TRAI urges govt. to use digital TV networks for b’band growth

    NEW DELHI: The digitised TV framework, which has come up in the country in a big way, should be upgraded to provide broadband to 100 million homes, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended.

    TRAI chairman R S Sharma said that it had also recommended tweaking the licensing framework to enable Wi-Fi hotspots as almost 800,000 such Wi-Fi hotspots were needed to connect India digitally.

    Speaking on ‘India’s Regulatory Priorities for 2017’ on the second day of India Internet Conference (IIC) 2017 here yesterday, he said TRAI had recommended that broadband can become a core utility to citizens if BharatNet is implemented in the PPP mode to connect 250,000 gram panchayats across the country.

    The theme of the conference was ‘Digital India 4 Sustainable Development’ organised by FICCI in association with the Electronics & IT Ministry (MeitY).

    Speaking about the overarching principles, Sharma said TRAI was regulating the sector to ensure consumer protection, quality of service, transparency, growth of the sector and a level playing field for stakeholders. He added that TRAI was regulating the sector to ensure its healthy growth. He also mentioned that TRAI was working towards enhancing ease of doing business and was seeking recommendations from the stakeholders to identify the tricky areas.

    Sharma said there were regulations that have lost their relevance over time and therefore TRAI had formed a committee comprising stakeholders to remove obsolete regulations. He added that TRAI was working towards identifying the important issues while dealing with urgent matters to bring out appropriate consultation papers.

    Broadband proliferation in the country was a priority, he said adding that the focus was on creating infrastructure, governance and services on demand and digital empowerment of citizens digitally connect the country.

    Also Read

    TRAI chief pushes for b’band over cable TV, BharatNet for upping penetration

    TRAI wants reduction of import duty on Wi-fi equipment to help growth

  • Tele-war: 10GB per day BSNL data at Rs 249 a month & unlimited night calling

    MUMBAI: Enjoying internet services may not get cheaper than this. The telecom tug-of-war is under way. Jio is proving to be undefeatable, but BSNL 4G has made a strong new pitch.

    In an attempt to give a fillip to broadband, adoption BSNL has announced a new “unlimited” wired broadband plan which also offers voice-based telephony packs.

    BSNL announced the new wired broadband plan on:

    https://twitter.com/hashtag/BSNL?src=hash

    BSNL customers will get 10GB of data daily at 2Mbps connectivity speed only for Rs 249 a month. The new plan also offers unlimited voice calling on Sunday and unlimited night calling between 9pm and 7am – not only on BSNL network but on others as well.

    Jio may have extended free services for three months. But, BSNL is giving tough competition. The only thing that remains to be seen is the Internet speed

    Also Read :

    Jio extends Prime deadline, freebies period

    BSNL launches FMT & Ditto TV; 4G planned this year

  • Jio says Ookla has admitted to flaws in speed measurement system

    NEW DELHI: This is one ad war that refuses to die. Even after Jio on the one hand and Airtel and Ookla on the other have had their say, the argument goes on.

    In yet another statement by Reliance Jio, it has been stated that Ookla has now admitted to ‘limitations in its application and that it “does not always indicate the actual data provider in devices with multiple SIMs.” 

    Jio has already filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Council of India about the ad by Airtel claiming on the basis of Ookla to be the fastest network.

    Both Bharti Airtel and Ookla had issued statements seeking to defend the claim. 

    Jio said: “Jio had been repeatedly pointing out this flaw in Ookla’s Speedtest methodology.” 

    It added: “This admission by Ookla reinforces Jio’s submission that there is a clear contamination in primary data collected by Ookla in India, where nearly 90 percent of smartphones are dual SIM devices.” 

    “Any results that are based on incorrect and contaminated primary data cannot be definitive, only probabilistic. It is a travesty that such results are being passed off as “official” results by a market-leading operator. We will continue to expose such misleading practices and raise it at suitable forums”, Jio added.

    Ookla had said, “The carrier displayed in the Speedtest Android application is based on the “Active Carrier” value returned by the device. Due to limitations of the Android platform, the “Active Carrier” does not always indicate the actual data provider in devices with multiple SIMs. In these situations, Ookla applies additional data sources and mechanisms during post-processing to help determine the actual data carrier being tested. 

    Jio in a statement yesterday had said: “The core issue is that the speedtest results are attributed to the primary sim even though the sim for which the data speedtest is conducted is the secondary sim in the case of dual-sim phones. In India, more than 90% of 4G phones are dual-sim. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the speed which is attributed to Airtel is of the Airtel data network. We are surprised that Ookla in its press release has not talked about this issue even though they had acknowledged the blunder to us earlier. Ookla has baldly stated that they stand by their results and has skirted the main issue. We will initiate actions as we deem fit at appropriate forums. The public should not be misled by these false claims based on the Ookla results.”

    Earlier yesterday morning, Speedtest (Ookla’s app) COO Jamie Steven said in a statement: “When analysing markets like India, we take many factors into consideration, including dual SIM devices, network technology, device types, and more. In addition to what the user sees on their mobile application as they take a test in real-time, we apply a rigorous methodology when aggregating the data which uses a variety of internal data sources that control for potential variability in the market.”  

    Also Read:

    Airtel hits back at Reliance Jio, Ookla stands by its findings

  • Airtel hits back at Reliance Jio, Ookla stands by its findings

    NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel today accused Reliance Jio of making a deliberate attempt to “malign the brand” and “misguide customers.”

    A day after Reliance Jio wrote to the Advertising Standards Council of India against Airtel’s advertisement claiming it was officially the fastest network based on a finding by Ookla, Bharti Airtel chief brand officer Rajiv Mathrani said the company is “rather amused” by the allegations being made against its campaign.

    Meanwhile, Ookla has stood by its earlier finding about mobile internet speed. “Ookla fully stands behind Airtel being named ‘India’s Fastest Mobile Network’,” Speedtest (Ookla’s app) COO Jamie Steven said in a statement. Ookla has named Airtel as the “Fastest Mobile Network” in India based on data from Q3 and Q4 of 2016 which has been challenged by Reliance Jio.

    Jio had alleged that the advertisement was “misleading”, and done in “mala fide manner in collusion with” Ookla.

    Jio also alleged that Ookla, the owner of Speedtest app, charges money for giving such awards and the company has also approached Jio for the same for the very quarter it issued certificate of fastest mobile network to Bharti Airtel.

    But, Steven said: “When analysing markets like India, we take many factors into consideration, including dual SIM devices, network technology, device types, and more. In addition to what the user sees on their mobile application as they take a test in real-time, we apply a rigorous methodology when aggregating the data which uses a variety of internal data sources that control for potential variability in the market.”

    He alleged that “this is a deliberate attempt to malign our brand and misguide customers through a campaign of misinformation, which is something we now come across on a regular basis, in particular, on social media platforms.”

  • DEN to vote on demerger of broadband biz

    MUMBAI: DEN Networks, on 11 March 2017, wrote to the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange Limited about the conclusion of court-convened meeting.

    It stated thus: “This is to inform you that, pursuant to an Order by the Principal Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (“NCLT”), New Delhi, a Meeting of the Equity Shareholders/Secured Creditors and Unsecured Creditors of DEN Networks Limited (“DEN”) has been conducted at PHD Chamber of Commerce, No. 4/2, Sin Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi- 110016 on Saturday, 11th March, 2017, for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, approving with or without modification(s), the arrangement embodied in the Scheme of Arrangement of DEN or Transferor Company and Skynet Cable Network Private Limited (“SYKNET” or “Resulting Company”), through which Internet Service Provider (ISP) Business / Broadband Undertaking of DEN will demerge into SKYNET, a wholly owned subsidiary of DEN.”

    In the communique signed by DEN Networks’ company secretary Jatin Mahajan, DEN added, “The NCLT has appointed Chairperson, Alternate Chairperson and Scrutinizer. The Scrutinizer shall submit results of voting/report to the Chairperson. Forthwith, the company shall submit the results to the Stock Exchanges and other applicable authorities.”

  • TRAI & FCC sign LoI on accelerating broadband deployment & aligning spectrum policy

    MUMBAI: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC, U.S.) has taken an important step to strengthen its relationship with one of its foreign regulatory counterparts, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

    During a meeting on the sidelines of the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, FCC chairman Pai and TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for cooperation between the two agencies. The non-binding agreement sets out a framework for the mutually beneficial exchange of ideas through activities such as best practices sharing, bilateral workshops, and digital video conferences.

    To guide these efforts, the FCC and TRAI have determined topics of shared interest, including accelerating broadband deployment and aligning spectrum policy to meet increasing mobile broadband demand.

    FCC chairman Pai said, “I look forward to working with Chairman Sharma and his staff as both of our agencies strive to promote innovation, investment, and growth in communications technologies in order to bring digital opportunity to all of our people.”

    Given the broader bilateral partnership between the United States and India, the FCC has long engaged with Indian counterparts on issues of telecommunication regulatory policy. The new agreement reinforces the ongoing positive working relationship between the FCC and TRAI and identifies opportunities for further collaboration in an increasingly interconnected world.

    Earlier, in a report from the MIB (India), the government admitted that digital cable TV networks were vital infrastructure for penetration of broadband through which e-government services could be deployed.

    According to the latest telecom subscription up to 31 December 2016 released by TRAI, Indian consumers quickly got over the demonetisation hiccup – at least as far as subscribing to mobile broadband, and dongles are concerned. Growth at 8.89 per cent has come back in the December month with the total number of mobile broadband subscribers rising to 217.36 million from 199.61 million subs earlier.

    This increase has come about primarily due to Reliance Jio’s relentless drive to build a user base: it had 72.16 million mobile broadband users, whereas Bharti Airtel (43.56 million), Vodafone (35.02 million), Idea Cellular (27.04 million), and BSNL (20.36 million) followed. The top five Indian service providers constituted 83.93 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Dec-16.

    Also Read:

    MIB report: 50% digital STBs seeded during DAS’ first three phases

    TRAI data: Mobile b’band subs get over DeMon in December 2016

    Jio juggernaut rolls on, wired segment wobbles

  • Cisco & Jio to build world’s largest all-IP 5G-ready platform

    MUMBAI: Reliance Jio is collaborating with Cisco to further expand Jio’s existing multi-terabit capacity, first all-IP converged network.

    With this network, Jio offers a unique combination of high-speed data, mobile video, VoLTE, digital commerce, media, cloud, and payment services. It is the first network of its kind globally with the fastest growth to 100 million broadband and VoLTE customers, reaching the milestone within six months of launch. With the Cisco All-IP network, Jio will help deliver the vision of Digital India and transform the delivery of citizen services from transportation, utilities and financial inclusion to entertainment, agriculture, education, and healthcare in the country.

    Cisco forecasts that mobile data traffic will grow 7-fold from 2016 to 20211. Technology has become the biggest driver of economic development in India. Jio network has exceeded consumption of more than 1 exabyte of data per month, establishing its clear leadership as the dominant data network.

    The Jio All-IP digital platform is a result of co-innovation around product and services between the two companies. It is built on Cisco’s Open Network Architecture and Cloud Scale Networking technologies featuring IP/MPLS, spanning areas including Data Center, Wi-Fi, Security and Contact Center solutions.

    The All-IP network is built for the ever-increasing volumes of data, and its promise to shape the future of India, with end-to-end digital solutions and broadband for all. Jio has more than 185,000 miles (or 300,000 KM) of fiber, and built India’s largest cloud data center to build platforms for applications and vertical solutions. Since its launch, Jio has accelerated India’s monthly user data consumption 40 times, the highest in the world. With the advanced All-IP network, Jio offers a premium broadband service at U.S. $0.15/GB, making it the most affordable in the world.

    Jio’s infrastructure and CDN extends beyond geographical boundaries of India into Singapore, France, London, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. With this Jio has direct interconnect with global carriers and content providers enabling low-latency and high-quality experience for users in India.
    “We at Jio have been able to fundamentally impact how people leverage technology in their everyday lives by delivering inclusive and affordable broadband across India,” said Reliance Jio president Mathew Oommen.

    “As part of our journey in fulfilling the aspirations of the nation to be a key transformational agent in Digital Adoption and Leadership, Cisco has been a great partner for in building this highly scalable cloud centric All-IP Digital Services Network Platform meeting unprecedented data growth.”

    “We share the vision with Reliance Jio for an open, programmable infrastructure to simplify, automate and virtualize core network functions in order to digitize faster,” said Cisco senior vice president & general manager – service provider business Yvette Kanouff. “This network marks a milestone, transforming the mobility business in India by delivering a broad range of mobile apps and services from one common platform.”

    Cisco is building the simplified, automated and virtualized network platform of the future based on industry-leading software, systems, silicon and services. This enables service providers, media and web companies worldwide to reduce costs, speed time-to-market, secure their networks and sustain profitable growth.

    Also Read :

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/enews/convergence-17-planetcast-plans-virtualised-broadcast-cyient-lauds-jam-170210

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/videocon-d2h-enhances-video-expereince-with-cisco-virtual-dcm-160902

  • DEN to launch 4k, ‘open’ STBs, give a leg-up to HD, b’band services

    NEW DELHI: The Sameer Manchanda-promoted DEN Networks Ltd is planning to launch feature-rich 4k and `open’ set-top-boxes in the near future, apart from continuing to push its HD STBs. The reason: enrich consumer experience and keep pace with evolving global trends, which have started reflecting in a price-sensitive Indian market too.

    As digitisation of Indian cable TV services rolls on with the final analog sunset date of 31 March 2017 not far off, DEN is also aiming to push its broadband service in approximately 20 more towns and cities over an year.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, DEN CEO SN Sharma said, “We do plan to launch 4k boxes over the next six months and are also working on an ‘open’ box to keep pace with evolving technologies and global trends very much visible in markets like the US and Europe. Such boxes would be rich in features like digital video recorder, in-built apps and go a long way in changing consumer experience.”

    Would the strategy to launch 4k and feature-rich boxes work in a price sensitive market like India? While admitting limitations to such boxes in terms of gaining mass popularity, especially as supply of 4K programming is still scarce, Sharma added, “As consumer behaviour has changed and is still changing, we feel there would be a sizable number of buyers for high-end boxes, including HD, if properly marketed to consumers.”

    Further explaining the reason behind this renewed push for HD and other consumer-enriching boxes, though comparatively costlier than the present ones, he said DEN is attempting to “keep pace” with DTH services, which had an advantage of starting off as a digital service unlike analog cable trying to convert to digital and other technologies like OTT.

    “We aim to seed in the market at least one million HD boxes over the next 12 months,” Sharma elaborated, adding, “I was surprised to get feedbacks from consumers and partner LCOs after touring small towns. There’s a fairly good demand for HD boxes in such places too. And, sitting in metros, we used to think consumers in small places of India would not be able to afford HD boxes, which are certainly costlier than the normal boxes given to them earlier. Our HD initiative has started.”

    According to figures available with the government and some investors, DEN has deployed 200,000 boxes in digitisation’s phase 3 and 4 with digital subscribers of the company contributing Rs. 10.2 crore or Rs 102 million in Q3 of FY 2016-17 to the overall quarterly revenue kitty. Overall subscriber base is 10+ million.

    The vigour with which cable services, especially digital, are being pushed is not without reason too. Apart from evolving with times, financial results too have shown concentration on the company’s core business (cable TV services) yields dividends. For example, amongst the few other highlights of FY17Q3, cable subscriptions registered a strong growth of 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Not only digital addressable system (DAS) phase 1 EBITDA stood at 30+ per cent, DAS phase 3’s monetisation was Rs. 65 (inclusive of taxes) as on December ’16.
    Expanding cable business also throws up other options at revenue generation. Sharma’s remit from the company board and investors is also to focus on increasing the broadband business of DEN bringing hi-speed broadband network to consumers’ homes, which is perfectly in line with PM Modi’s vision of `Digital India’.

    DEN plans to launch its broadband services in 15 to 20 new towns over the next six to nine months. And the confidence to give this segment of the business a leg up has come from the fact that broadband EBITDA got even for Q3 FY’17 despite the freebie blitz unveiled by Reliance Jio and other telcos during that time.

    According to data available, DEN added 20k broadband subscribers in Q3 FY’17 with the total subscriber base being 159,000; the figure for homes-passed standing at 864,000. While the year-on-year growth for broadband business was 82 per cent as on Q3, the total revenue and ARPU for the quarter were Rs 210 million and Rs 752, respectively.

    Keep tuned in for Sharma’s full-length interview coming soon on Indiantelevision.com where he speaks on an array of subjects from reasons behind renewed focus on core business of the company, shedding loss-making investments, the way Indian landscape has changed with digitisation, DEN’s insistence on cable subscription collections, getting future-ready to whether M&A is an option to fuel company’s growth.