India Telecom news

13th of September to 12th of October 2007

Vodafone to connect all West Bengal villages by 2009
Vodafone Essar East would connect all villages in West Bengal by 2009, a top company official said.

Vodafone to set up its foundation in India
Vodafone Group Plc will establish a Foundation in India with an investment of $10 mn to strengthen its presence in the country.

BSNL offers special mobile service for tourists
Considering the fast-paced growth of tourism, public-sector telecommunication service provider BSNL has come out with a special mobile phone service for foreign tourists visiting the country.

No explosion in genuine batteries: Nokia
Mobile handsets maker Nokia dismissed allegations of explosions in its batteries saying that genuine products were not being used by people who had reported such incidents in India.

PowerGrid to invest up to Rs 2,000 cr in telecom biz
PowerGrid Corporation of India (PGCIL) will invest up to 2,000 crore to boost its existing telecom network in the next two years, Chairman and Managing Director R P Singh said.

'New telecom licence rules in 10 days'
A panel will agree rules governing the award of future telecom licences in 10 days, the telecom minister A Raja said.

Department of Telecom gets 300 applications for licences
The Government received applications from 30 firms for starting telecom services, a number less than the previously reported 500 applications.

Samsung mobile eyes 18% of Indian market share by 2008

Korean mobile phone giant Samsung has set an ambitious target of trebling its market share to 18 per cent by 2008 to become number two player in India and has planned to open 500 plus retail outlets to increase its sales.

Tata indicom crosses 20 million subscribers mark
With Bharti Airtel announcing its feat of 50 million subscribers, mobile operator Tata Indicom, said its subscriber base has crossed the 20-million mark.

Vodafone introduces two new Blackberry models
Within days of changing its brand to Vodafone-Essar fom Hutch-Essar, telecom company introduced two new Blackberry models to attract more users to its network.

World Phone introduces calls to US at 50 paise/min
World Phone has introduced a Rs 1,500 monthly package, offering intl calls to US at 50 paise/minute.

MTNL submits bid for Sri Lankan telco
In what could be its first overseas takeover, MTNL submitted the bid for acquiring Sri Lankan fixed-line wireless operator Suntel.

Videocon applies for telecoms licences
The diversified group has applied for licences to provide telecoms services, and aims to partner a US firm, its chairman said.

'Vodafone liable to pay tax on Hutch deal'
A senior government official said the British firm Vodafone was responsible to submit tax (deal on Hutch) to the government.

Essar Communications to raise $3.95-bn syndicated loan
Essar Communications, Ruias-promoted telecom company and partner of UK giant Vodafone in India, is planning to raise 3.95 billion dollars of syndicated loan.

Palm introduces new smartphone for India market
Global smartphone provider Palm Inc introduced its new high-end model in India in partnership with Bharti Airtel.

Department of Telecom to frame fresh guidelines for new licenses: Raja
The Department of Telecom, facing a flood of applications from new companies planning to start operations, will prepare a fresh set of guidelines to screen applicants and award licenses.

UTStarcom for 10% of global revenue from India
US-based UTStarcom, which had recently bagged two IPTV deals Bharti Airtel and MTNL, expects more deals for triple-play services in India and hopes to generate 10 per cent of its total global revenue from the country in the next 2-3 years.

India's Unitech units to apply for telecom licences
India's second-largest real estate firm, Unitech Ltd, said on Friday eight of its subsidiaries plan to apply for telecom services licences in 22 of the 23 circles that make up the national market.

Telecom users at 241 million, tele-density at 21%
The growth story of the telecom sector continues with the total number of telephone subscribers reaching 241.02 million at the end of August and tele-density inching towards 21.2 per cent.

Airtel among 7 bidders for Qatar mobile licence
India's Airtel remains in the fray for Qatar's second mobile licence as the authorities brought down the bidders from 12 to seven, after the deadline to submit bids ended on September 16.