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
Major telecom companies in country have agreed to providing real time intercept facilities for Blackberry smartphones meeting a December 31 deadline set by the Government. The Department of Telecom (DoT) had set a deadline of December 31 for lawful real time legal interception of Blackberry services after the Canadian-based manufacturer of the smartphone Research In Motion (RIM) had provided a solution for the same. ...
06:57 PM, Dec 30, 2012
Former Department of Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh and three companies - Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone India Ltd and Hutchison Max & Sterling Cellular - have been charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the allocation of additional spectrum case during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime. ...
03:30 PM, Dec 21, 2012
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
New Delhi: The Department of Telecom (DoT) is likely to declare final results of the just concluded auction of 2G mobile phone spectrum in next couple of days. "Formal procedure is on. There is no issue. It (final auction result) will be done within a day or two," DoT sources said. DoT had on November 14 declared provisional auction result which fetched government revenue of Rs 9,407.64 crore against minimum...
08:57 PM, Nov 21, 2012
New Delhi: Telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Telenor and Tata Teleservices (TTSL) on Saturday submitted applications for participating in spectrum auction starting November 12. Sources at the Department of Telecommunications confirmed that Bharti Airtel has submitted application to bid for airwaves frequencies at pan-India level. Sources at Bharti Airtel, Idea and Vodafone also confirmed that companies have filed applications but did not disclose details of the application...
02:54 AM, Oct 21, 2012
Wellington: In a move bound to provoke US prosecutors and entertainment executives, indicted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom is planning to launch a replacement of his shuttered website and a new online music service by year's end. The file-sharing site that Dotcom started in 2005 was one of the most popular online sites before US prosecutors shut it down and filed racketeering charges against Dotcom and six other Megaupload principals in...
01:03 PM, Oct 12, 2012
New Delhi: The Empowered Group of Ministers led by Finance Minister P Chidambaram will be meeting on Monday on the Spectrum issue. It will be to taking a decision on charging telecom service providers for excess spectrum beyond contractual obligations. The EGOM in its last meeting on October 3 could not decide on the issue of one-time spectrum for existing telecom operators as the legal opinion from the Attorney General...
06:31 AM, Oct 08, 2012
New Delhi: As per guidelines that were made effective only recently, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked service providers to not provide mobile connections exceeding 3 months to foreign tourists in the country. The guidelines further instruct service providers that while issuing a SIM card to a foreign tourist, the latter's passport with a valid visa ought to be considered as the proof. This move by the government, evaluated...
12:46 PM, Sep 03, 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: Retailers and franchisee selling mobile SIM cards will have to register police complaint against subscribers if they submit forged documents to get mobile connections. According to the guidelines issued by the telecom department on verification of new mobile subscribers, "In cases where forged documents are submitted by the subscriber and originals are also forged, police complaint or FIR shall be lodged by the PoS (Point of Sale) or...
04:56 PM, Aug 19, 2012
New Delhi: The Law Ministry has opined that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) can ask mobile phone service providers to stop their present 3G roaming pacts. Additional Solicitor General AS Chandhiok in the opinion stated that the split verdict of sectoral tribunal TDSAT on the 3G roaming pacts does not constitute a judgement in law as the same can not be implemented, official sources said. Accordingly, sources added, ASG is...
07:39 PM, Aug 16, 2012
New Delhi: If you are not among the ones who can handle the blood saga in 'Gangs of Wasseypur 2', then there is 'Second Marriage Dot Com' that deals with the issue of second marriage. The family drama is releasing on Friday. Directed by debutant Gaurav Panjwani, 'Second Marriage...', brings to light the sensitivity of the issue. It depicts the loneliness and emptiness in the lives of single parents. Panjwani...
02:03 PM, Aug 09, 2012
New Delhi: The Department of Telecom has extended the deadline by 10 days till month-end for submission of bids by potential auctioneers that will manage the spectrum auction. As per new dates, potential auctioneer will have to submit bid by July 30 instead of July 20, DoT said in a release on Thursday. Sources said the auctioneer, which will manage auction of airwaves in 1800 Mhz and 800 Mhz will...
05:03 PM, Jul 19, 2012
New Delhi: The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Wednesday asked the Department of Telecom to prepare a matrix of reserve price of spectrum auction and its impact on tariffs and revenue to the government. According to sources, DoT has been asked to prepare a matrix of various levels of reserve price and spectrum usage charge at every Rs 1,000 crore difference in descending order and the impact that would...
11:53 AM, Jul 18, 2012
New Delhi: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) looking into the 3G roaming mobile services on Tuesday gave a split verdict in the case with its chairman directing the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to send out fresh notices to telecom operators while another judge ruling that the pact formed between telecom majors on 3G must be ended. Leading telecos like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea had entered into an...
11:58 AM, Jul 03, 2012
Wellington: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says the US piracy case against Kim Dotcom is "hokey" and a threat to Internet innovation. Wozniak and Dotcom spoke out against the federal case in separate interviews with The Associated Press Wednesday. Dotcom, the flamboyant founder of file-sharing site Megaupload, is accused by federal authorities of facilitating Internet piracy on a massive scale. Charged with racketeering and money laundering, he's fighting US attempts to...
07:41 PM, Jun 27, 2012
Chennai: Backing his party colleague A Raja, prime accused in 2G spectrum scam, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Tuesday expressed happiness over his securing bail. "All in DMK support Raja," Karunanidhi said, hours after a Delhi court granted bail to the former Union Telecom Minister. Talking to reporters at his Gopalapuram residence, the DMK patriarch said Raja securing bail gave him happiness. To a question if Raja would be involved...
09:21 PM, May 15, 2012
