Latest news with #VodafoneIdea
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
DIPA, Vodafone Idea team up to drive green energy adoption in telecom sector
NEW DELHI: The Digital Infrastructure Providers Association ( DIPA ), a grouping of IP-1 vendors, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) on Friday said they have entered into a collaboration to implement green energy solutions in the industry, and drive clean energy adoption throughout the network infrastructure sector. The key areas of collaboration include driving the implementation of the green energy open access (GEOA); development of sustainable infrastructure; integration of clean energy technology solutions in towers, data centers, and network facilities; and driving sector-wide adoption of green initiatives and carbon reduction strategies 'This collaboration with Vodafone Idea marks a pivotal moment in our industry's commitment to environmental sustainability. As DIPA continues its extensive work toward our zero-carbon mission, this partnership will accelerate the adoption of green energy solutions across India's digital infrastructure ecosystem,' said Manoj Kumar Singh, director-general, DIPA. 'Vi is committed to leading the telecom industry's transition toward sustainable operations. Our partnership with DIPA aligns perfectly with our environmental goals and reinforces our dedication to responsible business practices,' said Ambika Khurana, chief regulatory & corporate affairs officer, Vodafone Idea and director, Vi Foundation. The partnership comes at a crucial time when the telecom sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, with increasing demand for digital connectivity driving infrastructure expansion across urban and rural markets. The partnership will also focus on knowledge sharing, capacity building, and creating awareness about the benefits of sustainable telecom infrastructure among industry stakeholders, policymakers, and the broader ecosystem.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Cost-effective tariff, free 5G, service quality to drive BSNL 4G customers: Pemmasani
Once BSNL's 4G current deployment is stabilised, the Cabinet approval for the fresh 1 lakh sites will be sought, and the state-run telco is mulling offering free 5G wireless access, and cost-effective tariffs to woo subscribers. In an exclusive interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications, talks on BSNL 4G network, BharatNet 3 program, Vodafone Idea's health, India's 6G readiness, and telecom carriers' anti-spam initiatives. Edited excerpts. You recently talked about BSNL, which is expected to add an additional 1 lakh 4G sites. By when is this likely to happen including the Cabinet nod? Firstly, we must perfect 1 lakh sites for which the order has been given. Once we get confidence that the technology is working the way we wanted, and competing with the global standards, and the subscriber base is increasing, then we will ask the Cabinet through our prime minister. That is our internal ministerial plan, but obviously, still a few more months to go for that. Will this be an open bid, or continued with homegrown partner Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)? This has not even been finalised, and it has not been approved by the Cabinet. Once approved, it will follow the standard bidding process. What expectations do you have from the BSNL once 4G is commercially available nationally? I think there are certain things that are highly favourable to BSNL. People have a lot of trust when it comes to security, and it being the lifeline or backbone during the disaster preparedness and at border areas and rural villages, it has earned that kind of trust and loyalty among the people. Once BSNL provides competitive 4G services, people will flock into it. In addition, the price can be competitive, and these days, people use a couple of SIMs. In my view, the concept of 'indigenous' appeared to be favourable. We can provide quality customer service and quality service, bundling different services with broadband. We are also thinking about coming up with free 5G wireless access. Some innovative approaches are being brought into the BSNL. So, with all of these, I am hoping these will increase BSNL's customer base. Share an update on the BharatNet 3 project. By when is it likely to be completed? This is such a huge project. We have done it in an extensively transparent process. Whoever has been allotted, would start working right away. We want to finish it within the next 2 years as much as possible. Is the ministry working on some sort of relief package for the telecom industry? The current health of the telecom sector is quite good. We are not even discussing anything at this point of time. The only issue is Vodafone Idea which we have already done quite a bit. ₹36,000 crores converting debt into equity itself is a large thing that we have done. But no more equity conversion. I mean we do not have any plan to convert dues into additional equity currently Don't you think it's high time for the government, being a majority stakeholder in Vodafone Idea, to take steps to get it out of the woods? Exactly. That is the reason we have converted debt into equity. The government cannot solve all the problems they have or are experiencing. So, this is not something we can do in a day. This requires the Prime Minister-headed Cabinet's nod. Multiple people must have to be involved. They (VIL) keep on approaching us, and it will continuously be examined. Did Vodafone Idea approach again for some relief? Every time, they will be putting a proposal. They come up with alternatives, too. We never shut the doors for anybody. There are always Cabinet ministers available. What will be your piece of advice to Vodafone Idea? They are in the public markets. They have to manage their own business. They are smart people and run multiple businesses. They know how to operate. For the last several years, Industry bodies have been demanding a cut in the Universal Service Obligation Fund or Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) levy making it effectively zero? There is no immediate need. The telecom sector is quite profitable. Telcos are expanding into 5G. We do not have any additional plans to give any incentives at this point of time. The 4G Saturation program is relatively slow in terms of implementation? No, it is not. One must understand, these are the places that even private players felt impossible to deploy towers. We are talking about forest areas, hilly areas where you do not have road access. These are the leftover places. So, execution itself is very difficult. We deployed close to 14,000 towers out of the 27,000. So, 50% has been completed already, and another 50% of the work is being fast-tracked as well. You have funded some institutions as part of the next generation (6G) technology innovation strategy. How is it contributing to technology development? We have given funding to around 111 institutions. They did file quite a few patents. We are continuously reviewing those projects. But we are confident we will be able to get at least 5 to 10% of the 6G patents by India. Once you have these patents, they will be inserted into the standards. The department has formed multiple forums for 6G development like you had in 5G? TCS is working on 6G actively. Our goal is to give as much funding as possible to all the people who are interested, especially the startups. The innovation is coming from IITs as they have a more structured process. How are you facilitating Make in India or Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the telecom sector? Earlier, or until 10-11 years back, the situation was different. So, because of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, and the government's efforts, especially from the Prime Minister, we were able to bring in large manufacturers. We have got the ecosystem in the beginning, and now we have become the second largest phone exporter. Now, the goal is how to create indigenous components. If you look at our entire 4G and 5G, the government is mandating BSNL to develop indigenous technology and deploy. For a country as big as India, doing multiple things all in 10 years, I think what we have achieved is a remarkable success. Now you look at all the semiconductors and fab sectors, we have started to manufacture locally. Is the government considering any sort of direction to private telecom service providers to use indigenous technology, going forward? In general, mandating private enterprises is probably not the best thing. What we can do is incentivise them and empower them. So, if indigenous 4G works well and 5G is updated, obviously not only people in India, but other countries will also start buying. How are you ensuring the industry reduces spam and spoofing calls and messages? We are ensuring the security aspects of the telecom are being monitored, for the prevention of spam and fraud calls, and to eventually prevent financial frauds. We have taken that also very seriously and are reviewing it as a part of the security aspect. What is the frequency of reviewing anti-spam initiatives of telecom operators? I review monthly with our digital intelligence people. We are integrating Sancharsathi and developing it into multiple languages. Through Sancharsathi, we disconnected more than 4 crore illegal connections. We have also made a lot of changes and strict guidelines for the point-of-sale agents. So, like that, if you look at it, Airtel, you know, one year back, you were not getting spam call warnings. So, are you satisfied with the progress so far? Yes, I am quite satisfied with the progress.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Telecom industry AGR shows modest 1.7% rise in Q4 FY25
The telecom industry recorded a 1.7% sequential growth in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) in the last quarter of FY25, with the impact of last year's tariff increases waning. Vodafone Idea and Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) saw sequential declines in their mobile service revenues. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( Trai ) data showed for the January-March quarter, the AGR of the industry stood at ₹79,226 crore, a tad higher than ₹77,934 crore in the preceding quarter. Access or mobile services contributed 84.02% of the telecom industry AGR while the remaining amount came from national long distance (NLD), international long distance (ILD), internet service providers (ISPs), etc. In terms of access services, Reliance Jio has extended the gap with Bharti Airtel in terms of AGR growth. Jio's AGR climbed 3.2% to ₹29,464.7 crore in the Q4 from ₹28,542.8 crore in the preceding Q3. Airtel's AGR climbed about 1% to ₹26,324.2 crore. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swing Trading: Get Free Access to Mr. Hemant's Elite Strategy! TradeWise Learn More Undo The gap between the top two mobile operators had narrowed in the preceding quarter. After reporting a rise in their access services AGR in the FYQ3, both Vodafone Idea and state-run BSNL witnessed a decline in Q4. The AGR of Vodafone Idea declined 3.8% in Q4 to ₹7,653.5 crore from ₹7,958.5 crore in the preceding Q3. Similarly, BSNL's AGR was down 2.3% to ₹2,239.5 crore from ₹2,292.5 crore in the reported period. Live Events Higher quarterly AGR translated into higher license fee and spectrum usage charge (SUC) collections for the department of telecommunications (DoT). The license fee mop-up rose 1.7% sequentially to ₹6,340 crore, while SUC collections rose 1.2% on-quarter to ₹1,000 crore, data collated by the regulator showed. Telcos annually pay 8% of AGR license fees while the overall SUC payout is in the range of 1-3% after the government had said airwaves acquired from the first 5G spectrum auction onwards will not attract any SUC. Overall, sectoral minutes of consumption increased, with the all-India average minutes of usage (MoU) per subscriber per month from wireless services increased 1.6% on-quarter to 1026 minutes in the March quarter. The Trai report on the telecom industry's fiscal fourth quarter performance also indicated that monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) from wireless services increased 0.6% sequentially to ₹182.9. Data collated by the regulator showed the country's internet user base decreased in the March quarter by 0.1% sequentially to 969.1 million.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Jumps 10.6% on Vodafone Deal
We recently published a list of These 10 Stocks Boast Double-Digit Gains Amid Boring Market. AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) is one of the best-performing stocks on Thursday. AST SpaceMobile rallied by 10.6 percent on Wednesday to close at $44.35 apiece as investors cheered its partnership with Vodafone Idea (Vi) to expand mobile connectivity across India's unconnected regions. In a statement, AST SpaceMobile and Vi will join forces for the establishment of SpaceMobile Satellite System that will expand the latter's telecom services including voice, video, data streaming, and internet access. Under the agreement, AST SpaceMobile Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) will develop and manage the satellite constellation while Vi will oversee terrestrial network integration, operating spectrum, and market access. An aerial view of a communications satellite in orbit, beaming its signal down to Earth. 'Vi has always been committed to leveraging technology to connect every Indian and we see satellite communication as a complement to terrestrial connectivity. As satellite-based mobile access becomes a reality in India, we are looking forward to ushering in a new era of seamless and resilient connectivity,' said Avneesh Khosla Chief Marketing Officer. While we acknowledge the potential of ASTS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Vodafone Idea share price rises 2% on inking pact with AST SpaceMobile
Vodafone Idea shares surged following the announcement of a strategic partnership with AST SpaceMobile Inc. aimed at expanding mobile connectivity across India's most remote & unconnected regions. SI Reporter New Delhi Vodafone Idea share price: Vodafone Idea (Vi) shares were buzzing in trade on Thursday, June 19, 2025, with the stock rising up to 2.43 per cent to hit an intraday high of ₹6.72 per share. At 9:36 AM, Vodafone Idea share price was trading 0.30 per cent higher at ₹6.58 per share. In comparison, BSE Sensex was trading flat with a positive bias at 81,457 levels. What sparked the up move in Vodafone Idea share price today? Vodafone Idea shares surged today following the announcement of a strategic partnership with AST SpaceMobile Inc. aimed at expanding mobile connectivity across India's most remote and unconnected regions. 'AST SpaceMobile made history by placing the first ever voice and video call from space using a standard mobile phone, a milestone that demonstrates the real world viability of its advanced technology,' Vodafone Idea highlighted, in a statement. India, home to over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers, remains one of the most dynamic telecom markets globally. While 4G is widespread and 5G is growing, large parts of the country still struggle with mobile access due to challenging terrains. Satellite communication is expected to play a crucial complementary role in bridging these coverage gaps. "India, with its vast and dynamic telecom market, is the ideal place to demonstrate how our space-based cellular broadband can seamlessly complement terrestrial networks," said Chris Ivory, chief commercial officer, AST SpaceMobile. The partnership will integrate Vi's national mobile network with AST SpaceMobile's space-based cellular broadband, which connects directly to everyday smartphones—without requiring any additional software, device changes, or updates. "Vi has always been committed to leveraging technology to connect every Indian and we see satellite communication as a complement to terrestrial connectivity. As satellite-based mobile access becomes a reality in India, we are looking forward to ushering in a new era of seamless and resilient connectivity," said Avneesh Khosla, Chief Marketing Officer, Vi. ALSO READ | Aligned with the goals of the Digital India initiative, the collaboration will focus on the design, deployment, and launch of a satellite-based broadband system. AST SpaceMobile will develop and manage the satellite constellation, while Vodafone Idea will oversee terrestrial network integration, spectrum operations, and market access. Ivory added, "We are not just expanding coverage; we are breaking down barriers to connectivity, enabling everyday smartphones to access 4G and 5G directly from space. Together with Vodafone Idea, we are excited to unlock new possibilities for emergency response, disaster management, agriculture, remote learning, and countless other applications that will benefit from truly ubiquitous mobile broadband." The collaboration is set to position India at the forefront of global space tech innovation, while also enabling Vi and AST SpaceMobile to develop commercial solutions across consumer, enterprise, and IoT sectors. About Vodafone Idea Vodafone Idea Limited is among the leading telecom service providers in India, formed through a partnership between the Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group. With a robust spectrum portfolio—including mid-band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave spectrum in 16 circles—Vodafone Idea is committed to meeting the growing demand for mobile connectivity. technologies, offering innovative solutions for both retail and enterprise customers.
