New Delhi: A Group of Ministers is expected to consider a DoT proposal on Thursday that may clear the way for state-owned telecom firms, BSNL and MTNL, to venture into cable TV and broadcasting services to help infuse life into the loss making companies.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) is learnt to have forwarded several suggestions to the Group of Ministers, headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, that include BSNL and MTNL entering cable TV and broadcasting services, according to official sources.
They said DoT has sought the GoM nod for "exploring new business opportunity being created by the convergence of services and networks across telecom (value-added services and Internet telephony), information, cable TV and broadcasting media services".
The GoM on revival of the two PSUs is scheduled to meet for the first time on Friday to discuss the proposals and its recommendations will be placed before the Cabinet for a final decision. BSNL losses, as per estimates, are expected to be about Rs 8,198 crore, and MTNL's around Rs 3,300 crore for the financial year 2012-13....
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11:35 PM, May 09, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the government to refrain from taking any "coercive steps" against Bharti Airtel, accused of illegally providing intra-circle roaming facilities in seven circles where it did not have the licences for the 3G spectrum. The apex court also asked the parties to maintain status quo on the issue till the matter is heard on April 11. "Let the matter be listed on April...
08:23 PM, Apr 08, 2013
New Delhi: Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal is learnt to have approved a recommendation by two internal committees of the Department of Telecom (DoT) for imposing a fine of about Rs 104 crore on Vodafone for allegedly violating the licence conditions on routing of calls. "It was approved on March 23," official sources said. The fine is based on the loss estimated by internal committees of DoT to the national exchequer...
03:04 PM, Apr 04, 2013
Lone bidder Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL) on Monday bid for eight circles in the 2G spectrum auction for CDMA services. The second round of auction is underway and it is expected that it will end by the third round, which could be the shortest online sale of radiowaves in terms of time consumed. ...
11:00 AM, Mar 11, 2013
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday expressed confidence that the present uncertainty in the telecom sector will be resolved and spectrum will be auctioned. "For the present there is lot of uncertainty about auction but I am sure that this uncertainty will be resolved and spectrum will be auctioned. If the spectrum is auctioned we should get the money," Chidambaram said. ...
01:24 AM, Mar 01, 2013
Vodafone, which has not applied for taking part in spectrum auction in March, on Tuesday said the reserve price set is too high and the company cannot afford to pay in India where there is uncertainty about airwaves and revenues are low. ...
04:06 AM, Feb 27, 2013
The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has extended last date of application for spectrum auction to February 25. In an announcement on Wednesday evening, DoT made amendments to its notice inviting application in which it announced new dates in the schedule for auction. ...
12:46 PM, Feb 21, 2013
Industry body ISPAI today said that rates of internet and broadband services may go up under new licenses framework due to high entry fee proposed by Department of Telecommunications (DoT). ...
11:50 AM, Feb 18, 2013
The list of URLs to be blocked also includes news reports from Firstpost, Outlook, Times of India, Rediff, Indian Express and Economic Times. ...
10:06 PM, Feb 15, 2013
The Supreme Court on Monday allowed telecom operators whose licences were cancelled by its February 2, 2012 order to continue their services till February 4, 2013. An apex court bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice KS Radhakrishnan passed the order on a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) application seeking that the existing licence holders be allowed to continue operations till the auction scheduled for March 2013 was completed. ...
03:46 PM, Jan 14, 2013
Department of Telecommunications in its demand notice has asked telecom majors Airtel and Vodafone to pay around Rs 3,800 crore as one-time spectrum fee during this month. According to sources, DoT has given Airtel the option of paying Rs 1,758.07 crore this month as first installment from the total amount of Rs 5,201.24 crore levied on the company as one-time spectrum charge for additional and excess spectrum it holds. ...
10:48 PM, Jan 10, 2013
The Empowered Group of Ministers on telecom is scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss modalities about the spectrum sale due this fiscal. The EGoM, headed by Finance P Chidambaram, will discuss the auction plan prepared by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) after Cabinet approved the sale of unsold GSM spectrum in 1800 Mhz band and in the premium 900 Mhz spectrum band. ...
10:15 AM, Jan 03, 2013
A former top Department of Telecom official on Tuesday told a Delhi court trying the 2G case that four counters were set up for distribution of letters of intent to eligible telecom firms on January 10, 2008 as only four directors were available in the Access Service Cell of the department. Deposing as a prosecution witness in the case, DoT's erstwhile Member (Technology) K Sridhara said the large number of...
08:03 PM, Dec 11, 2012
A former senior official of the Department of Telecom on Monday told a Delhi court trying the 2G case that erstwhile Telecom Minister A Raja had "not consulted" him during preparation of the letter sent to the Prime Minister on December 26, 2007. ...
08:32 PM, Dec 10, 2012
New Delhi: Telecom companies whose licences have been cancelled by the Supreme Court will have to pay one time, non-refundable entry fee Rs 1 crore for unified licences for each service area, said the guidelines issued by the DoT for the spectrum auction beginning November 12. "Entry fee (non-refundable) Rs 1 crore for each Service Area Level UL (Access Services) except for Jammu and Kashmir and North East Service Areas...
11:37 PM, Sep 28, 2012
New Delhi: The Department of Telecom on Tuesday issued an 'information memorandum' containing details of spectrum auction which will start from November 12. Earlier, the Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the time for completing the auction of spectrum by January 11, 2013, from earlier deadline of August 31. According to the information memorandum issued by the DoT, notices to invite application will be issued on September 28 for two different...
02:19 PM, Aug 28, 2012
A copy of a note by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to mobile phone manufacturers, which was reviewed by Mint, gives the manufacturers a year more before their handsets that are not in line with the new radiation norms are phased out. This is the latest in an ongoing attempt by the department to make mobile handset manufacturers conform to the new radiation norms. So far, the September 1 deadline...
02:06 PM, Aug 27, 2012
New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the Department of Telecom to initiate penal action against social media websites like Twitter as they have refused to take off offensive posts against Indians from the Northeast. According to sources, the Department of Telecom is likely to act against as many as 28 web pages, of which most are on micro blogging website Twitter. Also, a total of 310 pages...
04:41 PM, Aug 21, 2012
New Delhi: Environment Ministry feels radiation emitted by mobile towers has ill effects on wildlife, especially birds and bees, and has asked the Department of Telecommunication not to permit such structures within one-km radius of each other. In an advisory, the Ministry has said that there is an "urgent need" to refine the Indian standard on safe limits of exposure to electro-magnetic radiations (EMR). Till it is reformed, "a precautionary...
05:42 PM, Aug 10, 2012
New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications will move the Supreme Court to push the deadline for 2G auction to November. The Supreme Court had earlier set an August 31 deadline. The decision to move court was taken in the EGoM headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday. "Auctioneer has given us schedule...we will approach the Supreme Court to place before them the fact what government has done. Also, place...
01:28 PM, Aug 07, 2012
