${latestitem Title}
${latestitem Title} |
- Vodafone Idea Reportedly Seeks More Funds From SBI
- Realme Changing Gears, Planning to Launch a Complete Premium Flagship
- Oppo Reno7 Series May Hit Indian Markets in January 2022
- Xiaomi Dominates Smartphone Shipments in India in Q3 2021: Report
- Airtel Payments Bank Poised to Grow Further in the Next Year
- Vodafone Idea ARPU Jumps to Rs 109 in Q2 FY22
- Dish TV Offering Cost Free Upgrade to MPEG4 Box to SD Users
- DoT Wants TRAI’s Help to Understand How to Allocate Spectrum
- One Broadband 150 Mbps Plan Is Quite Expensive
- Vodafone Idea Shares Surge Ahead of the Results
- JioBook Might Arrive Soon to Disrupt Laptop Market in India
- Vodafone Idea Wants to Defer Rs 6,000 Crore Payment to DoT
- Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vi Expected Time Period for 5G Rollout Delayed
| Vodafone Idea Reportedly Seeks More Funds From SBI Posted: 12 Nov 2021 10:36 AM PST The troubled telco in India – Vodafone Idea is in talks with the State Bank of India seeking fresh loans. It intends to strike a deal that could pave the way for other banks to boost the cash-strapped wireless operator's survival chances by offering credit. Vodafone Idea was requested by the State Bank of India to outline a turnaround strategy. This development comes as there seems to be no respite to the joint venture between Vodafone and the conglomerate from Kumar Mangalam Birla. The government lender has asked Vodafone Idea to give a detailed plan regarding its financial viability such as equity infusion from major shareholders, tariff outlook, cash conservation plans, and a roadmap to go to profitability. Vodafone Idea Seeks Fresh FundsThe telecom operator is prepping these details for the lender and discussions are underway. As of now, there is no assurance that the telco will receive the funds. For now, the State Bank of India did not comment anything on this, said the Bloomberg report. Also, Vodafone Idea, which reported its quarterly earnings today did not comment on the matter. If it materialises, the bank loan will be a lifeline for the merged company. Notably, it did not report any annual profit since the advent of Reliance Jio's services in 2016 and started losing subscribers to its rivals. Banks are now more amenable towards the wireless operator that has failed to show a profit after the government announced the telecom relief package in September, which helped the company avert an insolvency threat. Being the third-largest wireless operator in the country, Vodafone Idea survived from being nearly bankrupt after the government lets more time to mobile phone companies to pay their pending dues. This way, the lenders will get more elbow room to extend their credits given to Vodafone Idea, said one of the sources. The total debt of Vodafone Idea, which was Rs 1.9 trillion as of June 2021. This included Rs 1.68 trillion it owed to the government and the other Rs 234 billion was meant for lenders. These figures were revealed by KM Financial, a brokerage's note on September 15. |
| Realme Changing Gears, Planning to Launch a Complete Premium Flagship Posted: 12 Nov 2021 06:46 AM PST In the recent development of events, Realme has announced that it will be entering the sub-$800 smartphone market. The sub-$800 is the ultra-premium smartphone category and currently, Realme doesn't have any device in that area. The plan was announced by the CEO of Realme Sky Li via Twitter. However, no further details were provided as to when the customers can see the ultra-premium smartphone by Realme which would cost over $800 (roughly around Rs 59,500). The Expected Features from Upcoming Flagship DeviceAs of now, Realme has been making its presence felt at Indian markets and everywhere else through its flagship GT series smartphone. The latest device in the GT series is the Realme GT 5G which has been priced at Rs 37,999 in the Indian market. Another handset Realme GT Neo 2 was launched earlier this year at a price of Rs 31,999. The current smartphones by Realme provide very above average camera systems, however, do provide apt performance for the price it's available at. But the introduction of Realme's ultra-premium smartphone could be a changer for the company. The company has the opportunity to focus on all things important that could turn the device into the ultimate flagship model. The makers can focus on all the important features including display, battery, camera, build quality of the device, and performance. The users can even expect the device to run on Snapdragon 898 SoC which is the upcoming processor from Qualcomm. The manufacturers could also go for 125W fast charging technology for the device keeping in mind that Realme already provides better-charging technology than most. Realme can also work on the camera specs of the device and can focus on providing a high-end and all-around camera module which is expected at this price point. The ultra-premium smartphone from Realme can come with a larger camera sensor than its current 64MP camera installed in the GT series. Users will also expect a higher resolution ultra-wide-angle camera along with an enhanced telephoto lens. Since the price of the device would be quite high, it is expected that Realme would focus on the software of the device as well. Dedicated users will be expecting at least four years of scheduled software updates from the company. However, these are just the speculations being made which a device of such calibre should offer. |
| Oppo Reno7 Series May Hit Indian Markets in January 2022 Posted: 12 Nov 2021 05:56 AM PST According to reports, Oppo Reno7 Series smartphones are going to be launched in the very near future in China along with the Oppo Pad. Before the official launch of the devices, information on the pricing and specifications of the devices has leaked. It is to be noted that Oppo Reno7, Oppo Reno7 Pro, and Oppo Reno7 SE are the three devices that are going to be part of the series. Recent reports have also surfaced that might suggest the launch of the trio devices in India and their availability. Specifications of Oppo Reno7 and Oppo Reno7 ProThe leaks that surfaced online previously suggested that Oppo Reno7 will feature a 6.5-inch FHD+ 90Hz refresh rate display and will run on a Dimensity 1200 SoC. The handset might come with a triple rear camera setup which will be led by a 50MP Sony IMX 766 camera with OIS and will also sport a 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera along with a 2MP black and white portrait lens. The device is also expected to feature a front camera Sony IMX sensor which will be a 32MP selfie camera. It might be backed by a 4500mAh battery which will support a 65W fast charging technology by Oppo. Oppo Reno7 Pro, however, is expected be powered by a Snapdragon 888 processor by Qualcomm. The device might also feature a 6.5-inch 120Hz refresh rate display. The camera specs for the pro variant of the Reno7 series will be slightly different. The pro variant is expected to feature a 50MP Sony IMX 709 main camera with OIS on the back and complemented by a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens along with a 13MP telephoto lens. The selfie camera specs would remain the same and the handset will also feature a 32MP camera. Oppo Reno7 Pro is also expected to be backed by a 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging.Pricing and Availability of Oppo Reno 7 SeriesAccording to the latest rumours, India can expect the arrival of the Reno 7 Series in January of 2022. However, it is to be kept in mind, that only the launch of Reno7 and Reno7 Pro is being speculated for Indian markets as there is no clear information on the availability of Reno7 SE. It can also be assumed that since Indian markets expect the device in January of 2022, the Oppo Reno7 Series may witness its China launch at least by December. As far as pricing of the devices is considered, the rumours suggest that Oppo Reno 7 will be available for CNY 3,499 which amounts to around Rs 40,900, and Oppo Reno 7 Pro will start its pricing at CNY 4,299 which amounts to somewhere around Rs 50,250. |
| Xiaomi Dominates Smartphone Shipments in India in Q3 2021: Report Posted: 12 Nov 2021 04:01 AM PST The research firm IDC (International Data Corporation) has reported that there was a 12% year-on-year decline in the smartphone market in India during the third quarter of this year that ended in September. During the period, 48 million units of smartphones were shipped. Notably, this is significant as the market registered growth in the last four quarters on a consecutive basis. Also, it notes that Xiaomi registered a decline in the overall shipments in the country. However, the company also secured the maximum market share. Despite taking this overall decline of 12% in the smartphone shipments, India was the third-largest 5G smartphone market in the world, accounting for a shipment of 7%. It noted that from January to September this year, nearly 7 million 5G smartphones were shipped to the Indian market. New Smartphone Market Trends In IndiaThe research firm went on to note that the decline in smartphone shipments in the third quarter is attributed to component shortages. As compared to the third quarter of last year, this year saw a 12% decline to 48 million units of smartphone shipments, which was 54.2 million in 2020. In a quarter-over-quarter comparison, the Indian market witnessed 34 million units of shipments in Q2 and 48 million units in the third quarter of this year. Eventually, there was a 47% growth in the shipments on this basis. What's interesting is that though Xiaomi continues to lead the market, its shipments dropped by 17% year-over-year. However, its sub-brand Poco witnessed a 65% growth in shipments as compared to the same period last year. In the second spot, there was Samsung with a decline of 33% year-on-year. Then, we have Vivo in the third spot with a decline in the shipment of 13%. The fourth and fifth positions were occupied by Realme and Oppo. It is claimed that the key trends for the third quarter included a record-high share that was gained by online channels and a 5% year-on-year drop in the shipment volume. Also, the offline channels witnessed an 18% shipment decline on a yearly basis. Besides these, the country witnessed 10 million units of shipments with an average selling price of $401 (approx. Rs 29,800) in the third quarter. |
| Airtel Payments Bank Poised to Grow Further in the Next Year Posted: 12 Nov 2021 03:20 AM PST In the September quarter of this year, Airtel Payments Bank (APB) turned profitable. Now, it plans to double its business correspondents network across the country and drive monetisation via a combination of internet-based income and transactions apart from boosting revenues from cash management services in the B2B segment, revealed senior industry executives familiar with the matter. Airtel Payments Bank Poised to GrowOver the next 12 months, APB is eyeing to double its pan-India business correspondents network to one million from the existing 0.5 million. To get the necessary reach to serve the remittances market, as well as, Aadhaar-enabled payment services business to serve several millions of potential users in tier 3 and other markets, claimed a report by ET Telecom citing the executives. Business analysts expect the upcoming expansion to widen its APBs total distribution reach that is already twice the number of total ATMs and bank branches in India. In turn, the company will consolidate the leadership it owns in the remittances market. Notably, in the September quarter, the Airtel Payments Bank turned PAT-positive. This followed a 16% sequential growth accounting for 31.2 million in the monthly transacting user base. This accounted for a 25% on-quarter leap in its gross merchandise value (GMV), taking it to Rs 32,1000 crore. Eventually, its revenue reached close to Rs 1,000 crore on a yearly basis. As per the estimates of the company insiders, the remittances market is poised to grow at a rate of 70% in the coming years. Also, the Aadhaar-enabled payment services businesses are also poised to grow by 45% annually in four years from now. IIFL Securities witnesses a strong revenue generation potential, especially in the B2B segment via cash management services. This happened since APB's take rate at 0.74% is the maximum in the payments banking space. Notably, the take rate is a measure to convert its GMV into revenue. Recently, Gopal Vittal, the managing director of Bharti Airtel, stated that the e-commerce market's growth is likely to boost the demand for cash management from APB. Besides this, in December 2020, Sunil Mittal, the chairman of Bharti Airtel, stated that they might upgrade the payments bank licence to that of a small finance bank to step into the leading business. |
| Vodafone Idea ARPU Jumps to Rs 109 in Q2 FY22 Posted: 12 Nov 2021 02:12 AM PST Vodafone Idea's (Vi) average revenue per user (ARPU) has jumped to Rs 109 in Q2 FY22 from Rs 104 in Q1 FY22. This is not surprising though as the telco had removed the base Rs 49 plan which meant users had to shift to the Rs 79 plan. However, the increase in APRU didn't result in a higher subscriber churn rate. The subscriber churn rate for the telco during Q2 FY22 was 2.9% as compared to 3.5% in the previous quarter. Vodafone Idea Worked on Improving 4G CoverageFrom 1,007 million Indian users in Q1 FY22, the telco improved its 4G network coverage in Q2 FY22 to 1,012 million users. While it is not a very big jump, improvement is a positive sign for the telco. During the quarter, the telco's active subscriber base was 235.7 million users out of its total subscribers which is 253 million users. The active subscribers dipped from 241.7 million users in the previous quarter to 235.7 million in this one. However, the good thing is, the telco's ARPU rose and it also added new 4G subscribers. Vodafone Idea had 112.9 million 4G subscribers in Q1 FY22. This number grew to 116.2 million in Q2 FY22. This means that even though Vi's active subscriber base declined, most of them would be legacy network users. The rise in ARPU and 4G subscribers is something that Vi would be very happy about. If the telco can keep on improving its network coverage, it will start adding more 4G subscribers throughout India. Blended churn getting under 3% is something that will bring some relief to Vi. But in the medium-term, as tariff hikes kick in, the churn rate might again go above 3% which Vodafone Idea wouldn't mind a lot as long as its ARPU is rising significantly and with that overall revenues rising too. Despite the risen ARPU, Vodafone Idea is still quite far from where Jio and Airtel are. |
| Dish TV Offering Cost Free Upgrade to MPEG4 Box to SD Users Posted: 12 Nov 2021 01:34 AM PST Dish TV, one of the largest Direct-to-Home (DTH) service companies in India, is offering SD users a cost-free upgrade to the MPEG4 box. SD customers of the company who want to avail of this offer will have to pay a small sum of Rs 499 for the upgradation of their MPEG2 box, and they will get the complete amount back in their Dish TV account. Note that the recharge will have to be done before the request for the upgradation of the MPEG2 box to the MPEG4 box. However, customers in select regions of the country can only avail themselves of this offer. The regions include – Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam, North East, Punjab, Orissa, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Offer Slightly Different for Active and Inactive SubscribersCustomers who are active can take advantage of the offer right away. But inactive customers will first have to recharge their account and make it active before they can be eligible for the free upgrade offer. Also, it is worth noting that customers who relocated their connection to a different PIN code in the last 45 days won't be eligible for the cashback offer. The company will provide the Set-Top Box (STB), HDMI or A/V cable, adapter, and remote upon upgrading. Dish TV will also offer 12 months of warranty to the users on the new STB. The remote will carry a shorter warranty of six months, while the adapter will only carry a warranty of 90 days. The customer will be eligible to receive 30 days of free service visits upon upgrading the STB. If you want to upgrade to a different STB, such as the HD one or the Android one, you can do that as well. There's no clarity on whether Dish TV will offer the cashback with the other STBs as well. |
| DoT Wants TRAI’s Help to Understand How to Allocate Spectrum Posted: 12 Nov 2021 12:33 AM PST The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) wants the help of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to understand the way the spectrum should be allocated in the future. The telecom department is confused about whether it should administratively allocate the spectrum to the satellite communications (satcom) companies or whether they should also get it through the auctions. According to a Financial Express report, the regulator has sought information from the DoT about which spectrum bands will be available during the auction and which frequency spectrum do broadcasters, government entities, and other players use. After getting the complete details, TRAI will start with the consultation process to determine what should DoT do. Industry Experts, Players at Divide Over the Spectrum Allocation IssueSunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, said the spectrum should be allocated to the satcom companies in an administrative manner. At the same time, telecom companies, including Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio, have said that everyone should get the spectrum from the government in a fair and transparent manner through auctions. Broadband India Forum (BIF) has voiced its opinion that unlike the case with terrestrial network service providers, the spectrum for satcom companies won't be exclusive to a single operator. This is why auctioning and selling the spectrum to satcom companies doesn't make any sense. Multiple private satcom companies, including Bharti backed OneWeb and SpaceX owned Starlink, along with other companies, are going to start providing services in India from 2022. OneWeb already has statutory approvals from the DoT. It is worth noting that DoT can grant statutory approvals anytime. But the allocation of spectrum is the main thing, and that will only be done once TRAI has completed the consultation process. Satcom companies are going to play a major role in the growth of India, and they will be necessary for aiding 5G networks. Telecom companies can partner with the satcom players to ensure that their 4G and 5G networks also reach the remotest parts of India. |
| One Broadband 150 Mbps Plan Is Quite Expensive Posted: 11 Nov 2021 11:31 PM PST One Broadband is one of the many private internet service providers (ISPs) which is looking to solve internet demand needs in India. The ISP is a regional player at the moment and offers services in select cities of India. In Mumbai, the company offers three prepaid fiber broadband plans. These plans come with 15 Mbps, 25 Mbps, and 150 Mbps speeds. Today, we will be focusing on the 150 Mbps broadband plan from the company and see whether it is worth it or not. One Broadband 150 Mbps Plan DetailsOne Broadband offers its 150 Mbps plan for at least a quarter. Users can also get it for a half-yearly (six months) or a yearly (12 months) subscription. There's no monthly 150 Mbps plan offered, which is sort of unfair to a person who wants to test the company's services before committing for the long-term. The good thing is this plan is available with unlimited data; at least, that's what the website of the company says. There's no mention of a fair-usage-policy (FUP) limit on monthly data consumption. The quarterly 150 Mbps broadband plan from One Broadband comes for Rs 4,347, while the six months and 12 months plans come for Rs 8,394 and Rs 14,388, respectively. Note that the GST will be charged extra on top of these plans. If you are getting a new connection, then this is not all that you will have to pay to the company. There is also an installation charge of Rs 1,000 along with another Rs 1,000 for the router provided. The taxes applicable will be extra on top of this. There are multiple ISPs present in the market that offer their high-speed 150 Mbps or 200 Mbps plans well under Rs 1,000. In fact, some companies also offer over-the-top (OTT) benefits as well. Thus if you are considering One Broadband's 150 Mbps plan, our suggestion would be to keep looking. |
| Vodafone Idea Shares Surge Ahead of the Results Posted: 11 Nov 2021 10:04 PM PST Vodafone Idea (Vi) shares are surging this Friday morning ahead of the quarterly results that the company is expected to release in a few hours. Vodafone Idea, trading as Idea, opened at Rs 9.95 after closing for Rs 9.85 the previous trading day. The telco's stock touched a high of Rs 10.35, but now at the time of writing, it is trading at Rs 10.15, which is still 3.05% in the green. There's no apparent reason why Vi's stock is soaring on Friday morning. The telco is very likely going to report a loss for the September quarter as well as the first half of FY22. However, the telco asking for a deferment in payment of Rs 6,000 crore worth of license fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) for the second, third, and fourth quarter of this fiscal year could have brought a positive impact on its stock. It is still worth remembering that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) hasn't approved it yet. Bharti Airtel and RIL Stocks in the Green tooIt looks like a good day for the telecom stocks as not just Vodafone Idea but also Bharti Airtel and Reliance Industries Limited's (RIL) stocks are in the green. At the time of writing, Bharti Airtel is trading at Rs 735.85, which is 1% in the green. RIL is trading at Rs 2567.90, which is 0.52% in the green. Airtel's stock has been performing strongly for the last few days. Airtel had recently announced a partnership with Oracle, and the telco is also making huge strides in 5G trials. As for Vodafone Idea, the telco will announce its financial performance report in just a few hours. It is expected that telco's average revenue per user (ARPU) must have grown because of the removal of the base Rs 49 prepaid plan, which pushed the low-income subscribers to recharge with the Rs 79 plan instead. |
| JioBook Might Arrive Soon to Disrupt Laptop Market in India Posted: 11 Nov 2021 09:31 PM PST ![]() JioBook Visits GeekbenchGoing by the Geekbench listing, the JioBook carrying the model number NB1112MM was spotted revealing some of its specifications. Previously, the laptop was spotted with the model numbers – NB1118QMW, NB1148QMW and NB1112MM at the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) database. As per the benchmark listing, the JioBook with the NB1112MM model number will make use of a MediaTek MT6788 chipset along with 2GB of RAM. It runs on Android 11, suggests the benchmark listing. In terms of performance score, the affordable laptop likely on cards appears to have scored 1178 points in the single-core test and 4246 points in the multi-core test.JioBook Expected SpecificationsFrom a previous report by XDA Developers, the JioBook is speculated to arrive with an HD display of unknown dimensions. Given that it is an HD panel, it might carry a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The report went on to state that the laptop will get the power from a Snapdragon 665 SoC, which could be teamed up with a Snapdragon X12 modem for 4G connectivity. This contradicts the Geekbench listing, which hints at the use of a MediaTek chipset. Only an official confirmation can shed light on the same. Probably, these could be different variants of the laptop meant for different regions. Apart from this, the rumours pointed out the use of 2GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage space on the entry-level variant and 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage space on the high-end variant. Besides this, the JioBook is speculated to arrive with connectivity features such as dual-band Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, Jio apps including JioMeet, JioPages, and JioStore and Microsoft apps including Teams, Office, and Edge. |
| Vodafone Idea Wants to Defer Rs 6,000 Crore Payment to DoT Posted: 11 Nov 2021 07:54 PM PST Vodafone Idea (Vi) has made a written request to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for deferring license fees (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) for the second, third, and fourth quarters for this fiscal year. The total dues for the telco regarding the same would come around Rs 6,000 crore. According to an ET Telecom report, the telco said that it wouldn't be able to pay the concerned dues on time and hence is looking for more time. Vodafone Idea Will Pay the Complete Dues TogetherVodafone Idea said that it will clear its Rs 6,000 crore worth of due against LF and SUC completely in April-May 2022. The telco said that if there are any penalties imposed, it will clear them as well. DoT is yet to take a call on the issue. The telecom department is kind of surprised that Vodafone Idea wants deferment. Even after several relief measures were announced for the sector, which has reduced the burden on Vi’s cash outflow severely, the telco is asking for another help. According to the publication's report, a government official said that the moratorium on payments of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) and spectrum dues only applies to the retrospective dues confirmed by the Supreme Court. The official further said that if a telco is currently using spectrum, then it is liable to pay LF and SUC. For the unaware, the LF and SUC are paid on the basis of AGR. Vodafone Idea typically pays around Rs 2,000 crore every quarter for clearing LF and SUC dues. The amount is not fixed and keeps fluctuating depending on the AGR. The telco is already in talks with investors for raising additional funds, and there are reports suggesting that its promoters, including Kumar Mangalam Birla and Vodafone Group, are going to infuse additional capital as well. Thus it is a little surprising for the DoT officials that Vi is currently asking for more help in terms of clearing dues. |
| Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vi Expected Time Period for 5G Rollout Delayed Posted: 11 Nov 2021 05:37 PM PST India is yet to see the power of 5G. Private telcos including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are already running 5G trials in different parts of the country. While the telcos have come quite far with testing 5G, they are still not at the point where they can conclude it. The telecom companies were expected to finish the 5G trials by November 2021. This would have meant that the 5G spectrum auction could be held in the first quarter of 2022. But according to an ET Telecom report, the telcos have been granted extra time for testing their 5G technology. The DoT has granted six more months to the telcos for testing 5G. With Extended Trial Phase, Spectrum Auctions to be Pushed Meaning 5G Rollout DelaysThe plan was to give India a taste of 5G in the first half of 2022. However unlikely that seemed earlier, it is now confirmed that it won't happen. Because the telcos will keep up with their 5G trials at least for the complete first quarter of 2022, the spectrum auction has to be pushed ahead. It is worth noting that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) hasn't come up with fresh base pricing for the 5G spectrum yet. According to another ET Telecom report, TRAI might suggest fresh pricing for the 5G spectrum by the end of February or March 2022. Thus, naturally, the spectrum auctions will only take place in the following months. If it happens in the first quarter of FY23, it will mean that India will only see 5G in the second half of 2022. However, even this assumption comes with a big 'if'. In case there are any more delays, India might only launch 5G networks in 2023. Till that time, consumers will have to do with 4G networks. In fact, even after the arrival of 5G networks, its use cases suggest that it will be largely beneficial for enterprise customers only. It will take a lot of time before an average, or normal consumer will require 5G desperately. In hindsight, the delays are not really bad. The telcos stand to benefit a lot from the delays that are being caused. This is giving the Indian market time to become ripe with great and affordable 5G smartphone options, which will mean that whenever the telcos launch 5G network services, they will have more customers to serve to. It is something that is already in the minds of industry people. Hence, there's no real rush for launching 5G in India. All the telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, have already made major breakthroughs when it comes to 5G trials. Especially, Vodafone Idea is making giant strides in testing 5G and has been trying to explore innovative use cases of the technology. The more the telcos take time and test the next-generation network technology for building and discovering relevant use cases, the better it will be for India when they actually launch 5G services. There's no real need for 5G even right now as the telcos have a lot of room to improve 4G services. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from TelecomTalk. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
The troubled telco in India – Vodafone Idea is in talks with the State Bank of India seeking fresh loans. It intends to strike a deal that could pave the way for other banks to boost the cash-strapped wireless operator's survival chances by offering credit. Vodafone Idea was requested by the State Bank of India to outline a turnaround strategy. This development comes as there seems to be no respite to the joint venture between Vodafone and the conglomerate from Kumar Mangalam Birla. The government lender has asked Vodafone Idea to give a detailed plan regarding its financial viability such as equity infusion from major shareholders, tariff outlook, cash conservation plans, and a roadmap to go to profitability.
In the recent development of events, Realme has announced that it will be entering the sub-$800 smartphone market. The sub-$800 is the ultra-premium smartphone category and currently, Realme doesn't have any device in that area. The plan was announced by the CEO of Realme Sky Li via Twitter. However, no further details were provided as to when the customers can see the ultra-premium smartphone by Realme which would cost over $800 (roughly around Rs 59,500).
According to reports, Oppo Reno7 Series smartphones are going to be launched in the very near future in China along with the Oppo Pad. Before the official launch of the devices, information on the pricing and specifications of the devices has leaked. It is to be noted that Oppo Reno7, Oppo Reno7 Pro, and Oppo Reno7 SE are the three devices that are going to be part of the series. Recent reports have also surfaced that might suggest the launch of the trio devices in India and their availability.
The research firm IDC (International Data Corporation) has reported that there was a 12% year-on-year decline in the smartphone market in India during the third quarter of this year that ended in September. During the period, 48 million units of smartphones were shipped. Notably, this is significant as the market registered growth in the last four quarters on a consecutive basis. Also, it notes that
In the September quarter of this year, Airtel Payments Bank (APB) turned profitable. Now, it plans to double its business correspondents network across the country and drive monetisation via a combination of internet-based income and transactions apart from boosting revenues from cash management services in the B2B segment, revealed senior industry executives familiar with the matter.
Vodafone Idea's (Vi) average revenue per user (ARPU) has jumped to Rs 109 in Q2 FY22 from Rs 104 in Q1 FY22. This is not surprising though as the telco had removed the base Rs 49 plan which meant users had to shift to the Rs 79 plan. However, the increase in APRU didn't result in a higher subscriber churn rate. The subscriber churn rate for the telco during Q2 FY22 was 2.9% as compared to 3.5% in the previous quarter.
Dish TV, one of the largest Direct-to-Home (DTH) service companies in India, is offering SD users a cost-free upgrade to the MPEG4 box. SD customers of the company who want to avail of this offer will have to pay a small sum of Rs 499 for the upgradation of their MPEG2 box, and they will get the complete amount back in their Dish TV account. Note that the recharge will have to be done before the request for the upgradation of the MPEG2 box to the MPEG4 box. However, customers in select regions of the country can only avail themselves of this offer. The regions include – Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam, North East, Punjab, Orissa, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) wants the help of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to understand the way the spectrum should be allocated in the future. The telecom department is confused about whether it should administratively allocate the spectrum to the satellite communications (
One Broadband is one of the many private internet service providers (ISPs) which is looking to solve internet demand needs in India. The ISP is a regional player at the moment and offers services in select cities of India. In Mumbai, the company offers three prepaid fiber broadband plans. These plans come with 15 Mbps, 25 Mbps, and 150 Mbps speeds. Today, we will be focusing on the 150 Mbps
Vodafone Idea (Vi) shares are surging this Friday morning ahead of the quarterly results that the company is expected to release in a few hours. Vodafone Idea, trading as Idea, opened at Rs 9.95 after closing for Rs 9.85 the previous trading day. The telco's stock touched a high of Rs 10.35, but now at the time of writing, it is trading at Rs 10.15, which is still 3.05% in the green. There's no apparent reason why Vi's stock is soaring on Friday morning. The telco is very likely going to report a loss for the September quarter as well as the first half of FY22. However, the telco asking for a deferment in payment of Rs 6,000 crore worth of license fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) for the second, third, and fourth quarter of this fiscal year could have brought a positive impact on its stock. It is still worth remembering that the 
Vodafone Idea (Vi) has made a written request to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for deferring license fees (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC) for the second, third, and fourth quarters for this fiscal year. The total dues for the telco regarding the same would come around Rs 6,000 crore. According to an ET Telecom report, the telco said that it wouldn't be able to pay the concerned dues on time and hence is looking for more time.
India is yet to see the power of 5G. Private telcos including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are already running 5G trials in different parts of the country. While the telcos have come quite far with testing 5G, they are still not at the point where they can conclude it. The telecom companies were expected to finish the 5G trials by November 2021. This would have meant that the 5G spectrum auction could be held in the first quarter of 2022. But according to an ET Telecom report, the telcos have been granted extra time for testing their 5G technology. The DoT has granted six more months to the telcos for testing
Comments
Post a Comment