Sunday, June 24, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 18

News
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✓ Idea-Vodafone merger may get delayed as DoT readies fresh demand of 4,700 cr

✓ Bharti Airtel Rolls Out 20% Discount Offer on Yearly Broadband Plans

✓ Bharti Infratel appoints S Balasubramanian as CFO.

✓ Reliance weighs listing Jio in two-three years

✓ Visa may invest in BillDesk, valuing co at $1.5-2 billion

✓ WhatsApp may Back Payments from UPI Apps

✓ No new phone booths at Indian Railways stations? Universal charging points for mobile devices now essential

✓ Hotstar did it with IPL, OTT is closing in on regular TV!

✓ Need two more months to set up Kimbho: Ramdev.

✓ ZTE nears final hurdle for US to lift equipment-buying ban

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Telecom News June Edition 17

✓ Vodafone-Idea merger to be approved soon

✓ Pan-India VoLTE availability a distant dream for the country: IDC.

✓ C-DOT signs 5G MoU with 3 UK academic institutions

✓ Tata Communications wins deal from BlaBla Connect.

✓ DoT may raise demand on dues from Idea for spectrum licence fee

✓ ED officer moves SC, claims attempt to derail 2G probe

✓ RIL Stock Hits a New High as Profitability Improves

✓ Sunil Bharti Mittal Appointed Honorary Chairman Of International Chamber Of Commerce

✓ Telecom stocks under pressure; RCom, Bharti Infratel down 2% each.

✓ Interchange Fee Row Puts Spanner in Aadhaar-based Payment Works

✓ SBI denies commissions on digital transactions to payment firms

✓ UPI hits new milestone with 10 mn transactions in a day

✓ Samsung smartphone user base still far higher than Xiaomi: CMR.

✓ NEC Corporation to set up NEC Laboratories India.

✓ Tata Communications, MyRepublic team up for new mobile offerings.

✓ TRAI announces name, logo design contest for public Wi-Fi networks

✓ AT&T to launch NB-IoT in US and Mexico

✓ Huawei and M1 Disclose Plans about Live Testing 5G in Singapore

✓ Zomato is reportedly in talks to raise $400 million, largely from existing investors Ant Financial and Temasek, at a valuation of as much as $2 billion.

✓ Xiaomi which has filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong last month, is now aiming to raise only $6.1 billion and the valuation may now plummet to $53.9 billion in the IPO. The company was initially planning to raise around $10 billion that would increase its value to a high of $100 billion.

✓ The CEO of Malaysian government-owned Cradle Fund, Nazrin Hassan, has lost his life in a smartphone explosion. According to reports, two of his smartphones - BlackBerry and Huawei were kept on charge next to his bedside and one of them exploded.

✓ Nokia has inked a five-year global IT infrastructure and application services deal with Indian IT firm HCL Technologies.

✓ Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has resigned, effective immediately, after a probe revealed that a past consensual relationship with an Intel employee violated company policy.

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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Telecom News June Edition 16

✓ Govt amends norms for full fledged internet telephony by telecom operators

Airtel to deploy pre-5G Massive MIMO in AP circle

✓ Airtel gets telnor wave, to pick speed

Sistema Sells Its 10% Stake to Exit RCom

✓ Telecom index up; Bharti Infratel, Airtel among gainers. 

✓ Working with Indian telcos to bring more affordable phones: UNISOC.

✓ True Balance partners with Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit

✓ Just 25% adults use Internet in India: Pew survey.

✓ Cisco to acquire July Systems for boosting WiFi portfolio

✓ Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone key for NB-IoT deployment in India: Counterpoint.

✓ VIAVI Launches New Cellular IoT Testing Capabilities

Relaxation in mobile handset mandatory testing by TEC

✓ UNISOC Launches Chipsets That Could Bring Down Octacore Processor Based Smartphones Price To $100

✓ Shillong selected as 100th smart city

✓ Surat bags award for ‘great momentum’ in implementation of Smart City projects

✓ Ericsson, WFP Join Hands To Improve Odisha Public Distribution System

✓ DoT plans 10,000 cr tender to set up more rural Wi-Fi hot spots

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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 14

✓ Idea Cellular Completes the Roll Out of VoLTE Across all of its 4G Circles

✓ 3GPP approves completion of Release 15 5G specifications

BSNL to Launch 5G Services in Accord with Other Telcos Worldwide

✓ DoT Irked with Mobile Carriers for Resisting 5G

✓ Nokia selects Wipro to accelerate supply chain

✓ RCom arm GCX completes India data centre for Eagle Subsea Network

✓ Telecom stocks trade mixed; Idea Cellular among the top losers.

✓ Former RBI Deputy Governor Rama Subramaniam Gandhi joins Paytm as Advisor

✓ ZTE loses $7bn of value

✓ The #IoT Market Gets More Stabilized: Berg Insight Govt boost to manufacturers, eases import of used machinery. Digital transformation spending to reach $1 Tn in 2018

Xiaomi cuts valuation after pulling mainland offering ZTE`s fate uncertain after US Senate vote; shares, US suppliers slide

Monday, June 18, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 13

✓ Reliance Jio soft-launches net services of 5G speed

✓ Reliance Big TV STBs Will Be Up for Pre-Booking from June 20 Across 12 States

✓ Idea up 4% on likely DoT nod for Voda India merger. 

✓ Mobile devices to be exempt from testing till year end

✓ Telecom Services Q4: Industry revenues fell 7% q-o-q 121.46 crore

✓ ePayment cos want KYC norms eased for now.

✓ Global Technology Spending On IoT To Touch $1.2 Tn By 2022

✓ 948 smart city projects are under implementation, says Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

✓ India lags behind in the development of smart cities: McKinsey

✓ Centre teams up with Google to predict floods

✓ Govt plans ‘largest’ data centre in Bhopal

✓ Samsung spent $13.6bn on taxes globally in 2017.

✓ World’s most powerful supercomputer unveiled that can complete over 200,000 trillion calculations per second

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 12

• DoT May Give Conditional Nod to Vodafone, Idea Merger Today

• BSNL to Delay Rollout of 4G Services, Likely to Launch in March 2019

• Reliance Jio Brings Per GB Cost Down to Lowest of Rs 1.77 With Double Dhamaka Offer

• 5G panel identifies 6000Mhz spectrum as available for next-gen service

• 5G rollout in India: Panel bats for early release of spectrum for R&D

• Digital payments: RBI`s paper may push for participation of smaller players

• MobiKwik invests in Pivotchain for fintech offerings

• Draft Data Protection Bill ready, may be submitted this week

• Srikrishna Panel may Ask MNCs to Store Personal Data in India

• ABB to bring flash chargers to India, can top-up bus battery in 17 seconds

• China’s AiHuiShou Looks to Cash in with Cashify Deal

• Data hunger growing, 4-fold spike in WiFi usage at 370 railway stations

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Telecom News June Edition 11

✓ DoT seeks 2,100 crore from Idea before merger with Vodafone

✓ Ericsson, Intel and China Mobile achieve 3GPP-compliant, multi-vendor Standalone 5G NR interoperability

✓ Juniper unveils 5G and IoT-Ready routing platform

✓ New telecom policy promises stability, but will fail to attract new investors.

✓ PhonePe co-founder Rahul Chari hopes to ‘achieve’ 5 million transactions a day by 2018-end

✓ PhonePe ties up with Ola for cab, auto booking

✓ Huawei India revenue set to plummet in 2018; company stops assembly of telecom products.

✓ Huawei claims it shipped 6 million units of its P20 series

✓ Hyderabad Metro stations to have BSNL cell sites

✓ Cisco aims to invest $200 million in start­ups this year

✓ Facebook news use declining, WhatsApp growing: study

✓ US-based Avaya set to empower growing Indian mobile workforce.

Embattled ZTE seeks $10.7 billion credit line, nominates 8 board members

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 10

✓ DoT asks telcos to tweak their systems to use virtual IDs in lieu of Aadhaar numbers

✓ Airtel TV to Offer Free Live Stream of FIFA World Cup in Hindi, English and Other Local Languages

✓ BSNL 4G services in select towns of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh by August.

✓ JioTV Crosses 100 Million User Base, Announces Free Live Streaming of FIFA World Cup 2018

✓ Airtel partners with Telecom Department to boost broadband penetration in rural India

✓ RailTel plans to expand its broadband services in East and North India

✓ Aircel-Maxis case: Karti received Rs 11.6 mn in bribe, ED tells Delhi court

✓ Airtel plans Rs 24,000 crore capex in FY19 to stay ahead in the 4G game 

✓ Jio to Raise 2,000 cr from Bond Market at 8.7% Coupon

✓ RIL completes acquisition of 73% stake in AI firm Embibe

✓ Telcos Plan FIFA World Cup Feast to Attract Subscribers

✓ Telcos Seek to Reject Unlicensed Entities in Trai Public Wi-Fi Plan

✓ UIDAI delays face recognition rollout for Aadhaar verification until Aug 1

✓ Truecaller acquires Chillr to start mobile payments services

✓ Huawei debuts connected vehicles platform at CEBIT 2018

Faster internet: Land along highways, rail tracks may be reserved for telecom infra

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Telecom News - June Edition 9

✓ DoT seen allocating spectrum in E, V bands without an auction

✓ Airtel to Provide 4G Services Across Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri

✓ India to have 780 million VoLTE subscribers by 2023: Ericsson report

✓ Vodafone Rolls Out 4G Services in Kedarnath

✓ Nokia completes 5G New Radio data call with 4G and 5G

✓ DoT norms: Vodafone-Idea may lose 2,000 cr., 14 million subscribers

✓ Government mulls equity infusion into BSNL

✓ In-flight connectivity expected to be available within a year: Manoj Sinha

✓ Telecom Big 3 Scout for 2,000 Content Experts

✓ Less than 5% people prefer to use e-wallets, BHIM app for online transactions: survey

✓ NPCI allows banks to join UPI without becoming issuer

✓ Visa Slashes Fee on Debit Card Payments

✓ DoT, Civil Aviation officials to meet soon to discuss in-flight connectivity

✓ For SIM Verification, You Can Opt for Virtual ID from July 1

New telecom policy likely to be in place by July, says Sinha

Monday, June 11, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 8

✓ Reliance Jio third-largest telecom firm, others up revenue share

✓ 4G in India: Airtel Achieved Better Download Speeds than Jio Between May 2017 and February 2018

✓ BSNL to Boost its Network Infrastructure and Launch 4G Services With Rs 4300 Crore

✓ Globe to bring commercial 5G in Q2 2019

✓ After investing $37 billion in Reliance Jio, Mukesh Ambani`s Reliance Industries Limited looks to raise $3 billion.

✓ Jio engages with 80 start-ups

✓ RJio among the top two in 18 telecom circles

✓ Marketing head Daman Soni quits Mobikwik.

✓ Mobile banking: Paytm tops volumes, Axis value Paytm is Looking to Cash in with a PoS Business Plan

✓ Ericsson eyes analytics deals from leading Indian telcos.

✓ Munoth to Invest 799 Cr to Set up India’s First Lithium Ion Unit

✓ Reconsider Draft Rules on Derecognising Mobile Handsets: ICA to Trai

✓ Government to examine feasibility of blocking WhatsApp calling services in insurgency-hit areas

✓ Xiaomi books $1-bn quarterly loss ahead of blockbuster IPO

✓ Airtel to rollout 12,000 sites and 3,000 Km of OFC across TN

✓ Ruckus Technology to power Google station wifi hotspots in India and Indonesia.

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Sunday, June 10, 2018

Telecom News June Edition 7

✓ TC to Take Up Final Draft of Telecom Policy for Nod

✓ Airtel revises Rs 149 recharge pack again, now offers 2GB data per day: Report

✓ RIL’s investment arm plans to raise 4,000 cr to fund Jio, group firms

✓ Vodafone to invest Rs 8,000 cr in India

✓ Paytm’s more Welcome in Rural, Semi-urban Areas

✓ RBI’s on Track to Release Wallet Interoperability Rules in a Month

✓ Xiaomi expects 50% smartphone sales to come via offline by early next year.

✓ MediaTek`s new powerful 5G chipset introduced at Computex 2018

✓ We share limited data with Facebook to help customers, confirms WhastApp

✓ RailTel public WiFi service crosses 8 mn monthly users

✓ Ruckus Networks to team up with many partners to cater to rising demand for Wi-Fi hotspots

MTS deploys Massive MIMO across 7 World Cup Football cities

Friday, June 8, 2018

Telecom News, June Edition 6

✓ Vodafone plans to invest Rs 80 billion in proposed joint venture with Idea 

✓ Data to ring in new opportunities, says Vodafone’s Sunil Sood.

✓ Reliance Industries seeks extension of Mukesh Ambani`s term by 5 years

✓ Vodafone, Idea name circle heads for merged entity

✓ Apple to cut production of latest iPhone models by 20% this year

Huawei launches world`s first 3GPP R14-based commercial NB-IoT solution.

DoT’s to launch 10,000 WiFi Hotspots in a Month

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Startup News, June Edition 5

1. Sequoia Capital has led a $11.5-million (about Rs 77-crore) funding round in social commerce platform Meesho, with existing investor SAIF Partners also participating in the latest equity financing round.

2. Sports content app Sports Flashes has raised $1 million in a Pre-Series A round from Sri Capital

3. Digital signature and authentication firm eMudhra Limited is looking to grow its international operations.

4. Kishore Biyani’s Future Group will soon start delivering milk, eggs and bread at your doorstep every morning. The service will be launched in metro cities in the next two weeks, and expanded to other parts later.

5. Facebook said on Tuesday it has data sharing partnerships with at least four Chinese companies including Huawei, computer maker Lenovo Group, and smartphone makers OPPO and TCL.

6. In a competition held by the Thane Municipal Corporation, two startups – Toolyt and Culture Aangan will represent Thane at the International Business Fest in Liverpool, UK this month

7. US private equity firm Vora Ventures has acquired ShakeDeal, a Bengaluru-based B2B bulk sourcing online marketplace for industrial goods, supplies, and raw materials.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Telecom News - June Edition 4

✓ DoT invites bids for mobile towers installation in Andaman & Nicobar

✓ Online hiring in the telecom sector declines: Report 

✓ Few big players dominating digital payments is a risk, warns RBI

✓ India to enter top 10 OTT video markets in 4 years: PwC

✓ CommScope expands Goa facility with new R&D center; says India market continues to grow

✓ HCL info agreement with Apple India to end on March 2019

✓ Airtel Proves Stronghold in North East by Crossing 8 Million Subscribers in Assam

✓ Airtel to deploy 5000 new mobile sites, 500 KM optic fiber in Kerala

✓ Cabinet gives nod for Isro`s projects worth over Rs 100 billion

✓ China`s Huawei says it hasn`t collected Facebook user data

✓ Indian entertainment industry to touch Rs 3.5L cr by 2022: PwC report

✓ Vodafone partners Visa to offer exciting international roaming package

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Startup News - June Edition 3

1. Bollywood actress Mandira Bedi forays in the startup world by investing in Sagoon

2. Paytm set to invest Rs 67 Cr in online lending startup CreditMate

3. Xiaomi leads $100 mn financing round in local language social networking app ShareChat

4. Home healthcare startup Zoctr Health Pvt. Ltd. has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Dubai based NB Ventures.

5. eCommerce startup Kashmir Box gets angel funding

6. All-women last mile logistics startup Hey Deedee has raised $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round

7. Crowdfunding platform Crowdera raises angel investment

8. Amazon India has launched a new initiative to generate clean energy through installation of solar panels on the rooftops of its fulfillment centres and sortation sites in India.

9. IBM is looking to bridge the gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education for girls by rolling out a programme this June

10. PE firm Oman India Joint Investment Fund invests $15M in Pune-based automobile component maker Divgi TorqTransfer

11. Analytics startup DigiConnectt raises $125k in seed funding

12. Ex-SoftBank COO Nikesh Arora gets $128M to lead Palo Alto Networks

Monday, June 4, 2018

Telecom News June Edition 2

Idea Cellular gets DoT nod to increase FDI limit to 100%

✓ Reliance Jio begins hiring AI team under Akash Ambani

✓ At 1,612-crore, ITI bags tender for BharatNet project in Gujarat

✓ Airtel set to ink global IoT deal with Verizon ahead of Jio’s enterprise biz launch. 

✓ Vodafone-Idea merged entity won`t succumb to debt pressure: Citi.

✓ Comio eyes India unit by FY19 end

✓ Lenovo to open 400 more Moto Hubs by July-end

✓ Jio in Threat as Vodafone Discounts International Roaming Plans for Postpaid Users

✓ Agra Smart City floats RFP for ITMS

✓ Diu Smart City floats RFP for Project Management Consultant

✓ Port Blair Smart City floats RFP for Project Management Consultant

✓ Facebook Gave Device Makers Deep Access to Data on Users and Friends

✓ Microsoft agrees to buy coding site GitHub for $7.5 billion

✓ Xiaomi leads $100m push in ShareChat

✓ Trai Suggests Allocation of 10 MHz of 4G Airwaves for Free for Use by Relief Agencies

Telecom News, June Edition 18

News ---- ✓ Idea-Vodafone merger may get delayed as DoT readies fresh demand of 4,700 cr ✓ Bharti Airtel Rolls Out 20% Discount Offer on ...