Pan-India mobile number portability from May 3, TRAI amends regulation

The much awaited mobile number portability (MNP) has been amended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday which will allow mobile users to use the same number pan India.

“TRAI has today issued sixth amendment to the Telecomminication Mobile Number Portability Regulation, 2009 which will facilitate full MNP (pan India portability) in the country from May 3,” the sector regulator said in a statement.

The latest regulation will make mobile subscribers worriless in terms of retaining the same number wherever they go in India. As of now, it is only allowed in same circle or within a state.

This facility (full MNP) was to be launched by April 2014 but the Department of Telecom got embroiled in technicalities related to implementation.

Apart from facilitating pan-India portability, a few changes have also been made in porting process as well such as in case a postpaid subscriber defaults in the payment which was due to the donor operator (DO), the DO may request the recipient operator (RO) for disconnection of the ported mobile number.

“It is noticed that in many cases, the DO raises disconnection requests (due to non-payment of outstanding bill) long after the subscriber has ported his number. Therefore, there is a need to bring order in this matter so that non-payment disconnection cases are settled in a timely manner by the Donor as well as the RO to avoid any inconvenience to the subscriber at a later date,” TRAI said.

Accordingly, in the Amendment, time period of ’30 days’ from the due date of the outstanding bill has been specified for a DO to raise the non-payment notice to the subscriber who has defaulted in the payment.

It is also stipulated that after completion of ’60 days’ from the due date of payment of the outstanding bill, the DO will not be entitled to raise non-payment disconnection requests to the RO through the MNP service provider.

Source: HBL

RJio to Drive WiFi Rollout in India

Indian upstart Reliance Jio Infocomm is planning to introduce a 4G-enabled free WiFi service across Kolkata, according to local media reports. It could be the first of many.

WiFi is clearly an important part of Reliance Jio's 4G strategy. Because there is a shortage of spectrum in India for use with 3G and 4G services, WiFi could play a critical role in supporting the adoption of high-speed mobile data services. As cellular networks become increasingly congested with data traffic, it could provide a kind of mobile data sluice. Unsurprisingly, most of India's service providers are experimenting with WiFi to some extent.

With affordable connectivity a key feature of the recently launched Digital India initiative, Indian authorities are also looking to WiFi technology. The government has unveiled plans to create free public WiFi hotspots in India's 25 most populous cities by June this year.

Reliance Jio has already made some moves on the WiFi front. Last year, it launched free WiFi hotspots at eight locations in the state of Gujarat as part of the regional government's e-Nagar project, which aims to network five municipalities and develop a mobile app for e-governance. According to various media reports, the operator has also signed a deal with Swedish vendor Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) to set up 30,000 WiFi hotspots at various public places in the cities of Delhi and Mumbai.

Reliance Jio's investments could provide a major technology spur in a country that is currently thought to have only about 30,000 commercial WiFi hotspots. While commercial deployments are expected to grow at a moderate pace over the next three years, community-backed hotspots are expected to number more than 2 million by 2018, according to recent research from Maravedis Rethink Analytics, an analyst firm, and iPass Inc. (Nasdaq: IPAS), a WiFi connectivity player.

Even so, private sector players are stepping up their WiFi efforts. Aircel Ltd. took an early lead in 2011 and at one point claimed to have around 50,000 hotspots in the country, although it has since closed down operations in a few circles (service areas). Vodafone India started piloting WiFi hotspots at crowded places in metros last year. Tata Teleservices Ltd. is also planning to set up 4,000 WiFi hotspots by next year, while Idea Cellular Ltd. has soft-launched WiFi services in five cities. Meanwhile, companies such as Spectranet, Ozone and Sify have been experimenting with paid WiFi, albeit with limited success.

But Reliance Jio is moving at a much faster pace than incumbent operators when it comes to the installation of WiFi. Partly that is because the operator has no legacy voice business to slow it down. Reliance Jio's 4G ambitions are also fueling its WiFi plans. Besides being the only pan-India owner of 2300MHz spectrum, which it picked up during an auction in 2010, it also owns 1800MHz spectrum in 14 circles. It plans to begin offering 4G services later this year, under some pressure from regulatory authorities. (The terms of the licenses it won in 2010 require it to launch services within five years of receiving spectrum.)

A current dearth of WiFi hotspots and the government's prioritization of WiFi could provide the perfect opportunity for Reliance Jio to take a leading role in India's rollout of WiFi technology.

Source: Light Reading

India's smartphone shipments rose by 68.5% in 2014: Infographic

India's smartphone shipments reached 81 million units in 2014, up 68.5% from 48 million in the previous year, according to Counterpoint Research. Chinese handset makers including Xiaomi and Gionee more than doubled their market to 13%. Samsung and Nokia lost out, but Indian handset makers led by Micromax gained.



Source: ET

Reliance Jio submits the highest Earnest Money Deposit for upcoming spectrum auction

The 8 telecom operators who have submitted applications for participating in the upcoming spectrum auctions charted to begin on 4th March have submitted their earnest money deposit(EMD). EMD translates to points which can be used by the operator to bid for spectrum blocks in the auction. It turns out that Reliance Jio has paid the highest EMD of around Rs.4500 crore, followed by Bharti Airtel which paid Rs.4336 crore, Idea cellular paying Rs.4000 crore, Vodafone paying Rs.3700 crore, Tata teleservices paying Rs.1500 crore, Reliance communications paying Rs. 1175 crores, Telewings (Uninor) paying Rs.725 crores and Aircel paying Rs.500 crore. The total EMD paid is 20,435 crores.

This implies that we will see Jio bidding not just for spectrum in the 1800MHz band in the 8 circles where it does not have spectrum in that band but also in the 900MHz or 2100MHz band. Reliance Jio holds 20MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 2300MHz band in all 22 circles which it will use for TD-LTE. It also has 5 to 7MHz of spectrum in 1800MHz band which it can either use to deploy FD-LTE or to offer 2G voice and Edge data. If Jio bids for the 2100MHz spectrum it can offer 3G services to consumers who do not have 4G compatible smartphones. Also, VoLTE is not a very matured platform for offering voice services on 4G spectrum which is why

Also VoLTE is not a very matured platform for offering voice services on 4G spectrum which is why Jio would either have to come up with a VoIP solution or would need to adopt circuit-switched fallback (CSFB). If they opt for CSFB they will need 2G or 3G fall back spectrum to carry voice which is why they may look to acquire as much 2100MHz spectrum as they can get.

This auction is crucial for Idea cellular, Rcom and Vodafone in some circles where their 900MHz spectrum is expiring and they do not have 1800MHz spectrum to fall back upon. These operators would be forced to shut down operations in these circles if they cannot win back their spectrum. Bharti Airtel is in a relatively safe position since it has fallen back airwaves in all the 6 circles where its licence is coming up for renewal. Uninor may look at acquiring spectrum in new circles to widen its footprint. It is worth noting that Videocon has not submitted an application for the upcoming auction, which could hint at a potential merger or being acquired by a larger telco which may want access to its spectrum resources.

Source: Telecom Talk

Telcos give Rs 20,435 crore as earnest money for spectrum auction

Eight telecom operators have deposited earnest money of about Rs 20,435 crore for spectrum auction starting March 4, with Reliance Jio Infocom submitting the highest guarantee.

"The cumulative EMD (earnest money deposit) submitted by eight telecom operators is about Rs 20,435 crore," an official source told PTI.

Spectrum, or radiowaves, is key part of telecom networks used by companies to provide mobile or wireless services.

The earnest deposit money translate into points that determine the quantum of spectrum blocks a company can bid in the auction process.

RJio has submitted the highest EMD of about Rs 4,500 crore, followed by Bharti Airtel Rs 4,336 crore, Idea Cellular Rs 4,000 crore, Vodafone Rs 3,700 crore, Tata Teleservices Rs 1,500 crore, Reliance Communications Rs 1,175 crore, Telewings (Uninor) Rs 724.95 crore and Aircel Rs 500 crore indicating aggressive bidding in auction rounds, sources said.

These companies, barring Uninor, did not respond to queries sent to them to confirm the amounts.

Uninor in a statement said: "Uninor has filed application expressing its intent to participate in the upcoming spectrum auctions."

The government expects to garner over Rs 80,000 crore from the sale of radiowaves for providing 2G as well as 3G services, going by the reserve price. Proceeds from this year's auction are expected to help the government meet its fiscal deficit target of 4.1 per cent of the GDP.

It has approved the minimum or auction start price for the 2,100 Mega-Hertz band or 3G spectrum, which will garner at least Rs 17,555 crore. The reserve price for auction of 2G spectrum in 800 MHz, 900 Mhz and 1800 MHz bands will fetch the government at least Rs 64,840 crore.

Most of the spectrum being put up for the auction is at present held by Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Telecom. Their licences are expiring in 2015-16.

Idea Cellular's 9 circles, 6 circles of Airtel and 7 circles each of Vodafone and Reliance Telecom are coming up for renewal.

These companies have to compulsorily bid for spectrum to continue offering mobile and other telecom services as their permits are expiring.

Entry of RJio, Tata Teleservices, Uninor and Aircel shows that these companies are in the fray for additional spectrum.

The spectrum in 900 Mhz band frequencies is seen as good for providing telecom services as it gives double the coverage than mobile signal transmitted in 1800 Mhz band and therefore fewer number of mobile towers.

Most of the licences coming up for renewal hold 900 Mhz band spectrum which is also scarce in quantity.

The 3G spectrum is the other frequency for which telecom operators are expected to bid aggressively. The government is auctioning only 5 Mhz of 3G spectrum against industry demand of 20 Mhz.

Source: ET

Reliance Jio Infocomm enters auctions, bids now set to soar

With Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio entering the fray, bids for the auction of spectrum that begins from March 4 are likely to be fiercely competitive. On Monday, Reliance Jio announced its participation in the auction together with four other operators, whose licences are up for renewal: Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications. Tata Teleservices, Aircel and Uninor will also be participating but Russian operator Sistema Shyam has decided to abstain.
Crisil estimates that operators will shell out over Rs 90,000 crore to win spectrum, pointing out that nearly half the R1,20,000 crore of annual revenues is at stake for the large operators. With RJio’s entry, the number could be higher. The telcos face the Herculean task of raising their blended average voice and data revenue per minute (ARPM) by 5 paise to generate additional cash flows needed to service incremental debt.

The increase of 5 paise, which translates into a steep hike of 10% over a year, might be impossible for operators to push through given the market is price sensitive.

While Bharti, Vodafone, Idea and RCom must win back their spectrum to be able to stay in business, others will use the auctions to tank up on their spectrum holdings. RJio could turn out to be the toughest competitor as Aircel, Tata Tele and Uninor are expected to take up spectrum only in some select circles. Having won pan-India spectrum for broadband wireless access in the 2300 MHz band in 2010, Reliance is yet to roll out its services but in the February 2014 auction it bought 1800 MHz spectrum across 14 circles. This reflected a change in the company’s strategy — from being a potential data player it signalled it would provide a combination of data and voice services by using LTE technology which can be deployed on the 1800 MHz band spectrum.

By applying for the March auction, Reliance is taking forward this strategy.

Although the earnest money deposited by the company was not known, it appears Reliance will bid for all bands of spectrum — 800, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz, focusing more on the 800 MHz band.
This is because the 800 MHz band, traditionally used by CDMA operators, has now been liberalised and thrown open to the GSM operators and can be used to launch voice and data services using the LTE technology. Although the ecosystem for deploying LTE technology in the 800 MHz band is not immediately available, it can be developed. Further, with very little 1800 MHz spectrum as a back-up and only 5 MHz of 3G spectrum being put up for auction across 17 circles, operators are likely to look at 800 MHz as a back-up for their 900 MHz spectrum. That’s where the four large telcos will face the maximum competition from RJio.

The other advantage of the 800 MHz band is that it is available in a contiguous block across five circles. In the case of other circles, operators can form contiguous blocks by switching carriers and later by sharing spectrum or a combination of both.

Theoretically, RJio can also bid for 900 and 2100 MHz bands as these can also be used for deploying LTE technology. The practical difficulty is that the ecosystem doesn’t exist and will develop only over time. Still, the auction is designed such that an operator can enter or exit the rounds at any point of time which means high prices remain a perpetual risk.

With RJio’s entry, the auctions which were in any case going to be a make or break for operators, become a bigger challenge. For perspective, the circles where licences are up for renewal account for 89% of the country’s over 900 million total users. Their revenue contribution to the government, as annual licence fees, is around 84% of the total adjusted gross revenues of Rs 1.50 lakh crore.

Among operators the most precariously placed is Idea Cellular, whose licences in nine circle are up for renewal; these circles contribute around 70% to its overall subscriber base and 79% to its revenue base. Bharti is best placed as only six of its licences are up for renewal and these circles contribute around 32% to its overall subscriber base and 37% to its total revenues. Moreover, Bharti also has sufficient back-up spectrum in the 1800 MHz band that it bought at the February 2014 auctions.

Source: FE

Digital India project will create over 5 cr jobs, says Telecom Minister

Government's Digital India project will create over five crore jobs once it is complete, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today.

"IT gives employment to about 30 lakh people. Once Digital India becomes reality, we can give jobs to five crore plus people," Prasad said while addressing students at Shri Ram College of Commerce.
Digital India is an umbrella programme of the government comprising various projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore to transform the country into a knowledge economy.

The programme includes projects that aim to ensure easy access to technology infrastructure and government services are to citizens. He said there is boom in e-commerce sector, which is pushing development of logistics and his ministry is working on scheme to open BPOs in small towns and rural areas.

Besides, government's effort to ramp up electronics manufacturing will create these jobs.
"Once BPOs start opening up in mofussil towns, there will be computer training for which computer centres will come up that too will create jobs. We are running ambitious program of Make In India which will have to be supplemented with skilled India. These all will create jobs," Prasad said.
A student from Datia district in Madhya Pradesh raised issue of absence of power in small towns, absence of teachers in schools and doctors in hospital and asked the scope of Digital India in absence of such basic infrastructure.

"It is true that electricity is not everywhere. Either you keep cribbing that there is no power or fix it. There was no power in Gujarat, Narendra Modi ji promised that I will give power round the clock and today it is there. In your state Madhya Pradesh, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is making effort, many villages are getting electricity," Prasad said.

He said that India can't wait for electricity to reach first and stop working.

"It is how you see at things, when you will have Digital India programme running in nearby villages, then there will be pressure on local leaders to get electricity in their village as well," Prasad added.
Responding to a query from another student as to why India has not been able to developed sites like Google or Facebook, Prasad said that there is new wave of start-up IT companies which are developing innovative products.

"We have got 4,000 start-ups in India. Many of them are back from Silicon valley, making their own products and making foreign companies run for money. I see they have potential to become Google or Facebook of India. Even Google and Facebook are becoming Indian by developing content in regional languages," Prasad said.

Source:First Post

Digital India digest: Rs 6000 cr of projects approved under Make in India & more

Ministry of Communications and IT approves Rs.6,000 crore worth projects under the ‘Make in India’ programme.

The Minister of IT and Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the ministry had approved Rs 6,000 crore worth of projects under the ‘Make in India’ program, reports WebIndia123. The ministry said it had received proposals worth Rs 20,000 crore, of which the aforementioned amount was approved. According to the minister, research is being done in India, but intellectual property rights are with other countries. Additionally, India imports lots of electronics goods, despite being the second largest smartphone consumer in the world. These are the issues which the Make in India programme hopes to address.

2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats are to be connected by National Optic Fiber Network in next 3 years

As a part of the ‘Digital India’ initiative 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats are to be connected by the National Optic Fibre Network in the next three years, through seven lakh kilometers of optic fibre cable, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said in a press release. According to Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Digital India programme will try to bridge the gap between infrastructure availability in metros and villages. He also mentioned that the Government plans to create a digital locker for citizens, for storing degree certificates, BPL certificates etc.

Government’s Digital India project will create over five crore jobs once it is complete

The Government’s Digital India program will create over five crore jobs on completion, said the Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, reports Firstpost. He mentioned there is a boom in the e-commerce sector, which is pushing the development of logistics and the ministry is working on schemes to open BPOs in towns and rural areas. Additionally the governments efforts to ramp up electronics manufacturing will help create jobs. Prasad mentioned that employment in IT currently generates about 30 lakh jobs.

India offers cutting edge IT technologies at frugal cost- says Secretary RS Sharma

The Secretary of the Department of IT and Electronics, RS Sharma said that India offered a wide variety of sophisticated IT technologies at frugal cost to solution providers, at the inaugural of the 15th Indiasoft (India IT Show) held in Delhi. He pointed out the the unique identification program by India costs only Rs 100 per individual, while a similar program in the UK costs 150 pounds per person. He also mentioned that all social welfare and governance programs will soon be working on the digital platform and that India would have 250,000 touch points connected with optical fiber, wherein every person would have access to the Internet.

S K Gupta made the Principal Advisor in charge of Broadcasting issues

S K Gupta, who looked after the broadband issues in TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), has been made the Principal Advisor in charge of Broadcasting issues, reports Radioandmusic. He will replace N Parameswaran, who will now look after network services and licensing as Principal Advisor.

Parameswaran’s term in the TRAI is to expire later this year. He has been in the telecom sector since January 1980, and had played a key role in the liberalisation of the Telecom Sector in India. The term of TRAI Chairman Rahul Khullar, who had succeeded JS Sharma in May 2012 for a three year term,  is also expiring in May this year.

Source: MediaNama

Smartphone makers gear up to ride demand

Handset manufacturers are expected to rain smartphones in India this year, riding a rise in demand from users graduating to high-end devices. The industry expects a rise of about 45 per cent in smartphone launches in 2015, even though overall launches of handsets will be much less.

The overall launches -- smartphone, feature phone and entry level -- are expected to post meagre 6-8 per cent rise during the year.

“The Indian consumer base is a mix with only a small percentage of consumers forming the advanced user base. Thus, it has been our endeavour to improvise the user’s mobile phone experience by introducing technological innovations which not only adds value to the customer’s life but is also simple enough to be intuitively adopted by them,” said Shashin Devsare, executive director at Karbonn.

4G device
Karbonn kick-started the year with the launch of affordable smartphone Titanium Mach One, and is gearing up to introduce 4G devices early this year. Taking its Android One project further, it is also planning to introduce the next wave of Android One devices with larger screen displays.

The company’s portfolio includes 230 feature and touch devices, about 70 Smartphones and 10 tablets.

According to estimates by International Data Corporation (IDC), more than 2,000 new models were launched in India in 2014. Of this, smartphones accounted for 55 per cent and feature phones 45 per cent.

“Despite the significant price difference between feature phones and smartphones, sales of the former are on the decline. More and more people are buying smartphones due to the increasing affordability of smartphones,” said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner.

Huawei is planning to launch 12-15 new phone models in India, compared with 10 last year, to meet the demand.

"With the introduction of 4G, there would be an inevitable need to offer more 4G enabled devices and we see this as a big opportunity. Moreover, we are excited about bringing in some of the never before technology and features in smart phones for Indian consumers which is set to revolutionise the and will meet the discerning needs of users," said Allen Wang, President, Consumer Business Group India at Huawei.

The company's smartphones such as Honor6, Honor Holly, Ascend P7 and MateG launched in India were successful, he added.

Source: HBL

Facebook keen to partner with govts for digital push: Chris Daniels

Facebook, which has roped in Reliance Communications to offer some free services in India through its Internet. org app, plans to tie up with more Indian telecom operators to extend this service to a larger audience. In an interview with ET, Chris Daniels, vice-president, products for Internet. org, said the social media giant will partner with more state governments besides Andhra Pradesh to offer basic e-governance and m-governance services. Edited excerpts

What is the mission of Internet.org? What role does India play in this?

Chris Daniels: The mission of Internet.org is to connect everyone and our goal is to accelerate the process of connecting the unconnected — that is to connect two-thirds of the world population. And India provides a big opportunity, with its population and the number of unconnected people. As many as a quarter of the world's offline population is in India. Moreover, when people get onto the Internet, they generate ideas, they can access job opportunities, which will help not only India, but the world at large.

Will you be looking to launch the app with other operators in India as well? 

Chris Daniels: It is not an exclusive relationship with Reliance Communications and we can launch with other operators as well going forward. We will now offer access to more than three dozen services ranging from news, maternal health, travel, local jobs, sports, communication, and local government information. Afew basic services for free with the app and this is a long-term opportunity, not a short term promotion. We have now launched it in six states (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Telangana), but we plan to roll it out in the rest of the country in the next few months. Facebook and RCom are aligned on the vision. While we want more people on the Internet, RCom also wants more people on its data networks.

This kind of a tie-up - between an operator and an app provider - is at the centre of net neutrality in India and the world. The regulator in India is in fact looking closely at such tie-ups. Any comment?

Chris Daniels: Internet.org is pro-access to Internet. Net neutrality is pro-access as well, which means the two are, philosophically, well aligned, and both want to provide easy access to the Internet for all. We in fact focus more on removing the barriers to the Internet — such as affordability.

Are you satisfied with the growth of this initiative since its launch in 2013?

Chris Daniels: We have great satisfaction in how Internet.org has progressed. We have already taken it to some parts of the world, such as Columbia and Ghana, and we have great momentum. We will continue to roll out this initiative in other geographies and offer basic services for free. Countries that have a lot of unconnected people include India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil and Nigeria. And they provide a big opportunity. Mark's visit here set the agenda and today's announcement is the real tangible result.

Source: ET

Ecosystem for 4G is moving quite well: Sandip Das, former MD Reliance Jio Infocomm

The ecosystem for 4G is moving quite well with availability of devices at attractive prices and operators rolling out infrastructure and soon there will be national coverage for 4G, Sandip Das, former managing director of Reliance Jio Infocomm said today.

Das said there will be rise in data consumption once 4G networks come up and phones are also available.

"The 4G infrastructure is being rolled out by all operators right now in the country... some networks are up and some are going to come up shortly and soon there will be national coverage for 4G," Das said here.

He added the ecosystem for 4G devices is also moving in the right direction with manufacturers coming out with wide range of handsets at attractive prices.

"I think the second most important thing is availability of 4G phone and I think the ecosystem is moving quite well and a lot of manufacturers are now ready with a wide range of 4G phones that they are planning to launch at attractive price points," he said.

Das said once the networks come up and phones are also available, the data consumption will rise because people will experience very high quality data as well as speed.

In India, Bharti Airtel and Aircel are offering 4G services in some circles currently. Reliance Jio Infocomm, which holds pan-India 4G spectrum, plans to launch its services in 2015 in a phased manner.

Other operators like Vodafone and Idea Cellular have also bought spectrum in 1800 Mhz band, in February auction last year, which will be used for rolling out 4G services in coming years.

Source: ET

Digital India: Reliance Jio to roll out wi-fi network in central Delhi by June

North Delhi Municipal Corporation has roped in telecom operator Reliance Jio Infocomm to roll out Wi-Fi network in central Delhi by June this year, as per sources. "NDMC has asked Reliance Jio to install Wi-Fi network in area that falls under its jurisdiction. RJio has been asked to complete the rollout by June," an official source told PTI.

Government has set December 2015 deadline to cover cities and towns with population of over 10 lakhs as well as tourist destinations with Wi-Fi services as part of the Prime Minister's pet project 'Digital India'. The top 25 cities have to achieve this target by June 2015.

North Delhi Municipal Corporation has roped in telecom operator Reliance Jio Infocomm to roll out Wi-Fi network in central Delhi by June this year, as per sources. "NDMC has asked Reliance Jio to install Wi-Fi network in area that falls under its jurisdiction. RJio has been asked to complete the rollout by June," an official source told PTI.

Government has set December 2015 deadline to cover cities and towns with population of over 10 lakhs as well as tourist destinations with Wi-Fi services as part of the Prime Minister's pet project 'Digital India'. The top 25 cities have to achieve this target by June 2015.

Source: First Post

Reliance launches Jionet brand Wi-Fi service from Kolkata

After witnessing the launch of the country's first mobile service in 1995, Kolkata is all set to become the country's first digital metro city with Reliance Jio unveiling its Wireless Broadband Access-based Wi-Fi services here today.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata today launched the 'Jionet' brand Wi-Fi service from Park Street. Adjoining areas like Loudon Street and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road were also likely to be covered in the first phase of the soft launch.

The first mobile phone service in the country was launched when Modi Telstra patched through a call in 1995 between then chief Minister Jyoti Basu in Kolkata and then Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram in Delhi.

"All my Wi-Fi friends, I am tweeting using #WiFiKolkata. So proud to be first Wi-Fi Metro city in India. Congratulations to us all," Banerjee unveiled the service with this tweet.

The service is available for public from 6 PM and initially would be offered free, subject to fair usage, a company release said.

Earlier, company officials had said the Wi-Fi service would turn to be a paid service only after a formal commercial launch was done and that would happen once the entire city coverage was complete.

"We have started today, rest of the country will follow. Kolkata will become a knowledge hub for the world," Banerjee said.

Source: ET

Centre ready to use satellites, drones to connect to rural India: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The Centre is ready to use satellites, balloons or drones to fast-forward digital connectivity in India's rural and remote areas, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said.

"We are open to tweaking the programme's technology if industry can come up with concrete suggestions and our technical team can supplement it," Prasad said at the Digital India summit organised by the Times Television Network.

The massive Rs 20,100-crore national optic fibre network initiative, approved in 2011, seeks to provide Internet services at a speed of 100 megabit per second (mbps) across 2.5-lakh gram panchayats.

The programme has been marred by delays due to right of way (RoW) clearances at the state and district levels, even as the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has advanced the deadline to December 2016 from March 2017.

In a response to industry's suggestion, Prasad said, "Digging will be done to lay cables and it can be supplemented by satellite or balloon or drones wherever possible. I am quite open and can consider it."

The pan-India broadband network is imperative for Modi's ambitious Digital India initiative with an initial outlay of Rs 1.13-lakh crore for inclusive growth led by a plethora of m-governance services including health, education and entertainment that has a deadline of 2018. Times Internet chief executive Satyan Gajwani said the Digital India initiative with strong goals holds huge scope and opportunity for the country.

"As we move along, there should be no differentiation in the name of preferential access and it's consumers who have right to choose services."

"Digital India needs to bridge digital divide, and with the focus on rural India, the government is bringing in broadband," Prasad said. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg met Prasad last year and proposed a pilot project to bridge digital divide with alternate technology such as drones and satellite communications. Then, in December, software giant Microsoft's global chief executive Satya Nadella offered a pilot project for its 'White-Fi' technology to provide Internet connectivity in remote villages of the country.

Google has also offered its hot air balloons, under project Loon, for last-mile broadband connectivity.

Source: ET

S-G Ranjit Kumar rejects CAG’s observations, says no collusion between RIL & Infotel in 2010 auctions

India's second-highest law officer has rejected observations by the national auditor that the telecom department, through a series of decisions, conferred undue favours upon Reliance Jio that caused a loss of Rs 22,842 crore to the exchequer.

Solicitor-General Ranjit Kumar has also disagreed with claims by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) — of which Reliance Jio is a subsidiary — colluded with Infotel Broadband Services (IBSPL), the sole winner of pan-India airwaves in the 2300 MHz band (used for 4G services), in spectrum auctions carried out in 2010. Soon after the 2010 sale ended, RIL bought 95% in Infotel and later renamed it Jio.

CAG had alleged in a draft report that Infotel was acting as a front for RIL.

The national auditor had said in its report that the telecom department (DoT) favoured Jio by allowing it to convert its internet service permit (ISP) into a unified licence (UL) at Rs 1,658 crore.

ISP allowed the company to offer wireless broadband services (4G) while UL was needed for voice services. This was the same price paid by telcos in 2001 when the sector was still in its infancy. The price has been struck down by the Supreme Court in its 2012 order. The permission to offer voice services, plus other favours, had caused a loss of Rs 22,842 crore, as per CAG. The CAG's analysis of the DoT's actions figures in a draft report on the 2010 auction of spectrum for broadband wireless access (BWA). This (CAG's view) appears to be a very narrow perspective of the matter," Kumar has said in a 14-page opinion to the telecom department. He added that the introduction of the unified licence (UL) and allowing ISP's to migrate to a UL and offer voice was in line with existing telecom policy which took into account the interests of industry, consumers and the country.

Kumar's opinion was sought by the DoT while formulating the department's responses to the CAG's analysis. The CAG's draft report is also the basis for a public interest litigation filed by NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), in the Supreme Court, which alleged wrongdoing by the DoT in allowing Jio to offer voice telephony. CPIL's case is being argued by activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who is associated with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Kumar said that the DoT may submit his opinion in the Supreme Court while replying to the petition filed by the NGO.

Reliance Jio was the first company to utilise the government's new policy, NTP 2012, which permitted an existing ISP to migrate to a UL, or a permit to provide all services including voice telephony, by paying Rs 1,658 crore.

The S-G has argued that in fact there was a strong case for not even charging the Rs 1,658 crore, "since there was no allotment of any additional spectrum by the government to such licensees consequent to their migration." Moreover, the licensees continued to use the airwaves for which market price was already paid by them in 2010.He further said that charging an entry fee more thanRs 1,658 crore, or charging additional spectrum usage charge "would be arbitrary, unfair", and "may not be sustainable".Under the previous national telecom policy, prior to the one formulated in 2012, Rs 1,658 crore was the entry fee paid by a prospective telecom operator for a pan-India permit that came with bundled spectrum of 4.4 Mhz. The fee was based on a valuation of the bundled spectrum arrived at in 2001.

INFOTEL ACQUISITION LEGAL: S-G

Responding to CAG's analysis of the acquisition of Infotel Broadband -- owned by Mahendra Nahata -- by RIL, the S-G has opined that auction rules indicated that a change in shareholding was permissible immediately after the auction, so long as it didn't affect the eligibility of the bidder.

Also, "raising finance, whether through bank loans or through private equity, is part of normal business process and does not render the borrower company a dummy of the lender or investor," Kumar said. He further added that since RIL was an "insider" as far as Infotel was concerned, and sharing information with the "insider" was not prohibited under rules, and a transaction with an insider cannot be termed collusive. The S-G added that unless there was material to show that withdrawal of bids made by Vodafone India, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Idea Cellular was on account of leak of any information by IBSPL or RIL to the bidders, collusion or bid rigging cannot be alleged. Thus, there was no case for the telecom department to investigate leak of confidential information by IBSPL/RIL to other bidders. Further, the S-G has said that the fact that Infotel paid for the spectrum out of equity contributed by RIL, which was inducted as a shareholder after conclusion of the auction, does not necessarily indicate collusion with other bidders during the auction process.

"No occasion therefore arose for the DoT to enquire into transaction between IBSOPL and RIL unless there was complaint material with DoT to indicate their collusion or release of confidential information." At most, Infotel should have intimated DoT about bringing in RIL as a shareholder, Kumar said.

He, however, said that the manner in which authorised capital was increased by Infotel (which was done by serving only one day's notice for convening an extraordinary general meeting), and the manner in which the shares were issued to a publiclylisted company, RIL, before permission for the increase in authorised capital was sought from the registrar of companies, are regulatory matters and didn't fall within the jurisdiction of DoT.

Source: ET

Reliance Jio sees over 3GB monthly data usage per user in Gujarat under pilot test

In what could indicate growing high speed data appetite among Internet users in Gujarat, Reliance Jio Infocomm's pilot test in the state has seen over 200,000 users in last 8-9 months.

What's more, according to sources privy to the development, average daily high speed Internet data usage has been clocked at over 100 MB per user. The daily usage adds up to monthly data usage of roughly over 3 GB per user from Wi-Fi hotspots created by the company in major cities of Gujarat. An emailed query to the company remained unanswered.

Reliance Jio Infocomm, Mukesh Ambani's ambitious telecom venture, has been conducting ground tests by offering free Wi-Fi services at several hotspots in major cities of Gujarat like Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara and Surat.

The company has been conducting ground tests since last 8-9 months for acceptability of high speed Internet in the state through dedicated Wi-Fi hotspots.

Moreover, the company has also been offering free Wi-Fi at several major events in the state like 13th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2015 and the ongoing National E-governance Summit in Gandhinagar.

Last year, the company had launched trial runs of high-speed data services by setting up eight Wi-Fi hot spots in Ahmedabad. The trial runs in March 2014 were launched by the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi under the state government's e-nagar project.

The maximum downloading speed in 3G is up to 4-5 mbps, while the average downloading speed at these Wi-Fi spots is much above 20 mbps.

Source: B.S

4G Networks Rise 36 Percent in 2014; 1800MHz Band Most Popular: Report

The number of operators offering 4G mobile services rose by 36 percent to 360 globally in 2014 and nearly half of these used spectrum in 1800MHz band to provide the super-fast services, says a report.
The report by Global Mobile Suppliers Association has said about 44 percent of these operators used spectrum in 1800MHz band for rolling out 4G services.

Interestingly, in India, at present, the spectrum in 1800MHz band is primarily used for 2G mobile services. Also, the frequencies in the band are available at lower prices than the spectrum in 2300MHz which is largely used by Indian telcos to roll out the fourth-generation services.

The report said that as many as 360 operators have deployed 4G network across 124 countries by the end of 2014 as against 264 operators in 2013. Domestic players like Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Reliance Jio Infocomm have plans to use 1800MHz spectrum band for 4G services.

The ecosystem from 4G services is gradually developing.

The growth in 4G network deployment will bring down cost of mobile devices for consumers as well as cost of equipment used by telecom operators for building networks. Due to late development of 4G network equipment and consumer devices, Indian telecom operators, which hold 4G spectrum in 2300MHz band, have been seeking more time to roll out super-fast mobile services.

Airtel and Aircel have launched 4G services in this band at select places while another player, Reliance Jio, which holds pan-India 4G spectrum, is yet to launch services. The developing technology has now made it possible to offer high speed 4G services in bands other than 2300MHz.

The report said that 91 operators launched 4G services in 2600MHz band globally. The 2300MHz band spectrum has seen about 20 launches of commercial 4G network globally.

In India, state-run BSNL was allocated spectrum in 2600MHz across 20 services area. The company surrendered its 2600MHz band spectrum across 14 service areas but retained it in six service areas.

TeliaSonera was the first operator to launch 4G network in Norway and Sweden on December 14, 2009. The report said that 611 operators are investing in 4G networks across 174 countries.

Source: NDTV