New Delhi: After nearly 19 months of its preliminary enquiry into telecom spectrum allocation during 2001-07, the CBI has closed the probe pertaining to the period when Arun Shourie was the telecom minister. CBI sources said the documents related to tenure of Shourie and his examination during the probe have not revealed any irregularity. After registering the preliminary enquiry in January, 2011, the CBI had found alleged irregularities during the...
07:44 PM, Jul 16, 2012
The IP&TASFS was formed in the year of 1972 and the first batch was recruited in 1974. It is one of the Group a Central Civil Service of India. The cadre controlling authority for IP&TASFS is Member Finance, Telecom Commission of India. The selected candidates go through a number of training sessions in different institutes. i. Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Missouri: 4 month foundation course. ii....
06:03 PM, Jul 10, 2012
Chennai: The 2G auction should fetch a "reasonable market price" for the spectrum, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunications Sachin Pilot on Monday said. "Spectrum as a natural resources is the property of people of India. We must through the auctions, get reasonable market price for that commodity", he said told reporters here. Pilot added that the reconstituted empowered group of ministers (EGoM), headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram,...
10:45 PM, Jul 09, 2012
New Delhi: An inter-ministerial panel set up to supervise auction of spectrum for telecom services is learnt to have said it is not possible to meet the Supreme Court (SC) deadline of August 31 to complete the process. According to government sources, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) has conveyed that it is difficult to complete the auction exercise by August 31 due to delay in final decision from Empowered Group of...
03:47 AM, Jul 06, 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
Sharad Pawar declines the Prime Minister's move to make him the chairman of the EGoM on telecom allocation. ...
10:20 PM, Jul 02, 2012
New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Monday quit as the head of EGoM on Telecom. Pawar said that allegations against him in the 2G case ill motivated. "I am stepping down as chairman of 2G EGoM to avoid getting dragged into unnecessary controversy over 2G spectrum allocation," Pawar said. "The Prime Minister has agreed to relieve me as chairman of EGoM on 2G," Pawar added. In February 2012, the...
07:58 PM, Jul 02, 2012
New Delhi: A crucial meeting of the reconstituted Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), scheduled for Monday, has been postponed, Agriculture Minister and head of the ministerial panel Sharad Pawar said. The meeting of the EGoM, the first after Pranab Mukherjee resigned as the Finance Minister to contest Presidential election, was to decide on auction of telecom spectrum. "The meeting has been postponed because I have got some other work," Pawar...
12:49 PM, Jul 02, 2012
Shanghai: Despite uncertainties in the telecom sector, Chinese equipment maker Huawei will invest $2 billion over the next four years in India as it looks to aggressively market consumer devices and set up global R&D centre in the country. The company, which clocked $1.5 billion in revenues from India in 2011-12, is also betting big on the rollout of 4G LTE services in India and is targeting more than 50...
06:33 PM, Jun 25, 2012
New Delhi: The Empowered Group of Ministers on telecom may meet next week to discuss on crucial issue of spectrum price and related issues for auction which is due before August 31. The crucial meeting of EGoM, which was scheduled for Thursday to decide on spectrum pricing and related issues, had been deferred indefinitely. Sources had said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is heading the group, did not want to...
01:28 AM, Jun 23, 2012
New Delhi: An Empowered Group of Ministers, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is likely to meet on Thursday to discuss crucial issues of spectrum price, payment terms and network roll-out obligations for auction of airwaves due before August 31. As part of terms for payment, the EGoM would discuss if telecom companies can mortgage spectrum or airwaves for seeking loans from banks and financial institutions, official sources said. Sector...
09:29 AM, Jun 21, 2012
New Delhi: Vodafone on Tuesday slashed 3G tariffs by up to 80 per cent, becoming the fourth telecom service provider to reduce rates after Bharti Airtel, Idea Celluar and Reliance communication. Vodafone 3G plans now start from Rs 25 for 25 MB data usage and go up to Rs 1,599 for 12 GB data usage. Under the pay-as-you-go for pre-paid customers, the rate has been cut by 80 per cent...
05:32 PM, Jun 19, 2012
New Delhi: The Empowered Group of Ministers on telecom, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, will meet on June 21 to decide on the base price of auction of spectrum, sources said. "It (EGoM meet) is scheduled for June 21 evening," a source said. The meeting was expected to be held on June 20. The meeting is crucial for the telecom sector as the EGoM will decide on the future...
03:40 AM, Jun 19, 2012
Ooty: Former telecom minister A Raja's fears on Sunday were put to rest by the people of his constituency. On his first visit to the Nilgiris after his jail stint, Raja, the prime accused in the 2G spectrum scam was greeted by large crowds, loud cheers, firecrackers and music. One look at the massive crowds that welcomed Raja and it seemed as if the 2G scam almost never existed. Raja...
07:51 AM, Jun 11, 2012
New Delhi: Ex-telecom minister A Raja on Sunday said that he was not disappointed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not defending him in the 2G scam. In an exclusive interview given to CNN-IBN, this one being his first since bail, he said that he would defend himself in the case. "I am not disappointed with the PM. I will defend myself... I am competent enough." The DMK leader added...
07:17 PM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested a top telecom official for taking bribe in Kolkata. The Chief General Manager of BSNL, telecom factory circle in Kolkata, SK Satyarthi has been arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau of CBI's Kolkata branch. He was caught red handed while taking bribe of Rs 3.25 lakhs from a supplier at hotel Taj Bengal on Saturday night. ...
12:20 PM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: Former telecom minister key 2G scam accused A Raja heads for Tamil Nadu on Friday. It will be his first visit home in over 15 months. Raja was arrested on the February 1, 2011 and released on bail on May 15, 2012. In Chennai, DMK MP's followers are arranging a massive celebration at the airport. His first stop is expected to be at DMK chief Karunanidhi's house. He...
06:30 AM, Jun 08, 2012
New Delhi: Former telecom minister A Raja has been granted permission by a Delhi court to go to Tamil Nadu. He has been granted permission on the condition that he will not contact any witnesses in the 2G case. DMK leader MK Stalin will come to Delhi to meet him on Thursday. Raja has been allowed to go to Tamil Nadu as the 2G court is on a vacation. Raja...
12:45 PM, Jun 06, 2012
Mumbai: An empowered group of ministers (EGoM) led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will meet on Tuesday to take a final call on key issues of 2G spectrum auction such as pricing and refarming, officials said. The EGoM would go through the analysis report of the Telecom Commission on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) proposals and their impact on tariffs, and the department of telecom's own recommendations and...
04:41 AM, Jun 05, 2012
New Delhi: The Cabinet on Thursday approved a new telecom policy that proposes to abolish roaming charges on mobile phones and allow users to retain the same number across the country. The Cabinet approved the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012, which aims to provide free roaming to telecom users and allow them to retain the mobile number even outside their circles without having to pay any extra charge. Here's the...
10:59 PM, May 31, 2012
