BUSINESS
Apple's iPhone growth in India to slow in 2025, but maintain leadership in premium segment
Looking ahead, Upasana Joshi, Research Director at IDC, estimated that Apple will continue to outpace the overall smartphone market in 2025, with shipments reaching 13-14 million units.
BUSINESS
Govt looking to bring back top Indian-origin AI minds to help build local models, applications
Reversing the brain drain: The government wants these AI experts to mentor Indian startups and young researchers. Some leading Indian-origin AI experts have shown interest in returning to India, sources have said
BUSINESS
Budget 2025: Mobile retailers seek tax cuts, easier loans and lower MDR
The All India Mobile Retailers Association, which represents 1.50 lakh retailers, says these measures will improve affordability, support small businesses and encourage digital payments
BUSINESS
CG Power confident in OSAT revenue despite AI-semiconductor challenges from DeepSeek
DeepSeek claims to offer a free alternative to ChatGPT, utilising models that are cheaper to establish and require fewer chips.
BUSINESS
iBus Networks eyes market expansion, revenue growth with FireFly acquisition
iBus has also developed a network solution using Massive Machine-Type Communications for large gatherings to track and trace people to avoid stampede situations, iBus Networks co-founder and CEO Ram Sellaratnam has said
BUSINESS
TCS-CDoT consortium skips BSNL’s 5G tender for Delhi-NCR; Tejas among bidders
In 2024, BSNL conducted a pilot in Delhi for 5G services based on a Networks as a Service model. Lekha Wireless, VVDN Technologies, Coral, Niral Networks, Galore Networks and WiSig participated in live trials of the 5G technology
BUSINESS
Telcos want 24 months to implement DPDP rules, flag 'excessive compliance' burden
MeitY on January 3 released the draft rules for the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and set a February 18 deadline for public and stakeholders to send their feedback
BUSINESS
Indus Towers sees robust growth, powered by Vi and Airtel's expansion plans
While building new towers for Vodafone Idea will depend on their network expansion plans, Sah expressed confidence in Indus Towers’ ability to accommodate their requirements efficiently.
BUSINESS
Indus Towers targets double-digit returns from EV charging plans, telecom still the mainstay
Indus Towers is conducting pilots to assess the technical feasibility of the EV charging business, and its ability to deploy more charging stations. A pilot in this regard is already underway in Gurugram and Bengaluru.
BUSINESS
TRAI to examine new voice and SMS-only plans launched by private telcos
TRAI believes these plans will cater to subscribers who do not require data services while allowing service providers to offer bundled and data-only options to promote data inclusion.
BUSINESS
Indus Towers to foray into EV charging infrastructure sector; launches pilot charging stations in Gurugram and Bengaluru
The company said it is well-positioned to contribute to the EV charging infrastructure sector by leveraging its expertise in managing and providing space, power, and operations and maintenance (O&M) for seamless operation and efficiency.
BUSINESS
Former Nokia India head Sanjay Malik joins Tejas Networks as EVP and Chief Strategy & Business Officer
Malik brings more than two decades of experience in the global telecom industry, having held various senior leadership positions at Nokia. He served as the Senior Vice President and India Country Head for nearly eight years, steering Nokia India to a market leadership position.
BUSINESS
Too early to assess Trump effect but a trade war is unlikely, says Tata Comm CEO
AS Lakshminarayanan tells Moneycontrol the company is in touch with startups and enterprises for its AI cloud business. Startups looking to build or train AI models are also in talks with Tata Communications
BUSINESS
Tata Communications unfazed by US chip export curbs; in talks with enterprises for NVIDIA-powered data centre: MD
Tata Communications is one of the major Indian companies aiming to offer AI cloud computing services to enterprises and startups using high-end NVIDIA Hopper and Blackwell GPUs. The company unveiled its AI infrastructure with NVIDIA-accelerated computing in October last year.
BUSINESS
Budget 2025: Telcos seek clarity on service tax on AGR, urge govt to abolish regulatory levies
The Cellular Operators Association of India has requested the government to clarify that service tax should not be levied on incremental licence fees and spectrum usage charges arising from the Supreme Court’s judgment on aggregate gross revenue.
BUSINESS
Dixon in talks to set up $3 billion display fab in India; awaiting ISM 2.0 guidelines
The display fab will cater to Dixon’s existing customers across mobile, television, and notebook segments, while also serving other players in the market.
BUSINESS
Indian smartphone shipments drop 4% in Q4 2024, Apple breaks into top five: Canalys
For the first time, Apple entered the top five, shipping 4.0 million units, buoyed by aggressive promotions and strong festive demand. China’s Vivo retained its top position in the Indian smartphone market, with 7.5 million units shipped, capturing a 20% market share
BUSINESS
India plans to share worries over US AI chip curbs with Trump administration
Industry experts and stakeholders have flagged concerns about long-term effects starting 2027 when India plans to significantly scale up its AI capabilities. Restricted access to advanced chips can slow innovation, raise costs and lead to delays, they say
BUSINESS
Govt working on proposal to waive a substantial portion of AGR dues: Sources
This latest proposal, if approved, could offer a lifeline to Vodafone Idea and stabilise India’s telecom sector while ensuring a level playing field for all operators.
BUSINESS
Satellite-based communications service to play pivotal role in expanding digital connectivity: TRAI Chairman
Lahoti further discussed Trai’s recommendation for adopting embedded SIMs for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, which could stimulate the growth of a homegrown M2M eSIM ecosystem.
TELECOM
Cabinet approves refarming of spectrum from ISRO and Defence for 5G and 6G: Scindia
This strategic move aims to bolster India’s telecom infrastructure, ensuring sufficient spectrum availability to support connectivity and advancements in digital services.
BUSINESS
Apple launches Apple Store mobile app ahead of offline retail expansion in India
This follows Apple’s initial foray into direct customer engagement in India with the launch of the web-based Apple Store in September 2020, offering its full range of products and support online—mirroring the experience of its physical stores worldwide.
BUSINESS
Jio is largest standalone 5G network in the world, with 170 million users; attracting 70% of new 5G devices sold
Jio surpassed 170 million 5G users in the December quarter, solidifying its position as the largest standalone 5G operator outside China.
BUSINESS
Cabinet approves refarming of 1,100 MHz spectrum in several bands from various ministries, depts: Sources
A Committee of Secretaries (CoS), established last year to streamline the process, approved the proposal in December. The committee includes secretaries from multiple departments and senior DoT officials.
