Rajan S Mathews

The telecom operators will look at getting more offerings like content, e-commerce and financial services aggregated onto their networks to enhance revenue streams and arrest declines in topline and bottomline, Mathews said.

Subscriber base of 6 telcos rises 2.27 million in February

Bharti Airtel led the subscriber growth by adding 1.25 million new mobile customers, followed by Idea Cellular (1.21 million), Vodafone (0.79 million) and Aircel (10,000 new customers).

India to gets its own mobile congress in September

"There is Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and an edition in Shanghai. There is nothing in between for South East Asia. India is emerging as one of the global leaders in telecom which we will also showcase in the Indian Mobile Congress," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews told PTI.

COAI exec committee to discuss industry's financial fortunes

The executive committee meeting of the cellular operators association (COAI), scheduled for March 17, is likely to discuss the issue of the deteriorating financial health of the industry.

GSM mobile additions at 5.15 million in January: COAI

The Indian telecom industry added 5.15 million mobile subscribers in January this year, which was lower than the 8.18 million subscribers added in December.

GSM telcos gain over 10mn subscribers in Nov; Idea adds 7.4 mn

The GSM operators have added over 10 million users during November to reach 801.8 million subscribers base, with Idea Cellular leading the pack, according to data by cellular operators association COAI.

Steep price of 700 Mhz kept bidders away, says industry

The auction, which was billed as the country's largest sale of airwaves to date in terms of quantity, lasted only for five days. However, right from the Day 1, no activity was seen in the 700MHz frequency band.

COAI DG rules out overhaul of voting rules, apology to RJio

"I don't believe there is any need for an apology. The Director General acts in accordance with the rules, regulations and constitution of the association. DG does not make independent statements expressing his point of view," Mathews told PTI.

Jio says COAI's 'back door operator' remark contempt of court

All the forums within the COAI, of which Reliance Jio is also a member, are "controlled by the incumbent dominant operators owing to their disproportionate voting rights," the statement said.

COAI terms tiff with TRAI as 'unfortunate misunderstanding'

The telecom regulator had convened a meeting of telcos to resolve the ongoing dispute between the incumbent operators and the new entrant Reliance JIO over interconnecting joints.

COAI on RJio's charges: Abiding by association bylaws

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio yesterday lashed out at COAI, of which it is a member, for acting "maliciously" as "mouthpiece" of certain dominant incumbent operators having vested interests against the company.

Spectrum to be a hardsell as telcos are stretched: Pros

Rajan S Mathews, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India also feels 1800MHz is going to be the key area of interest among the telcos. He says that even though most of the announcements were positive, the government may not be able to rake in a lot of money.

COAI backs Trai proposal on flat spectrum usage charge

Talking about the "constraints" of the regulator due to the terms of reference, Mathews said, "The Cabinet and the Telecom Commission are not so constrained and should move to what Trai sees as the appropriate SUC regime, which is a flat SUC rate, and not a weighted average approach."

Telcos to contest Trai views on auction pricing before DoT

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended a record high base price of Rs 11,485 crore per Mhz for 700 Mhz which alone.

Budget 2016: Telecom sector's wishlist

This time, its long list of demands boils down to two things — clearer policies and help in reducing debt

Trai asks telcos to start compensating for call drops

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) issued amendment in Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations on October 16, 2015 in which it added a rule mandating mobile service providers to compensate their subscribers for call dropped or automatically disconnected due to technical glitches in their network.

COAI, AUSPI move Delhi HC on TRAI call drop penalty order

Rajan S Mathews - Director General, COAI Rajan S Mathews - Director General, COAI, said telecom operators have already acceded to the TRAI‘s penalty order on service quality issues but their license does not mandate 100 percent coverage in any area by a provider.

Idea Cellular's Himanshu Kampania becomes COAI chairman

The Cellular Operators Association of India held its annual general meeting on Thursday and elected the new leadership as well as designated its executive council for the new term, it said in a statement.

Net Neutrality: COAI's campaign gains support of 40L people

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that the "support" has come through SMSes and voice calls made as part of this campaign over the past week and "the entire mobile number database of supporters is auditable on request by the appropriate agency"

Mobile tariffs will go up but not immediately: COAI

According to a research report by Barclays, the spectrum payments by telecom operators will have a limited impact on their balance sheets in near term as the payments are on a deferred basis.

Swachh Bharat cess can be levied on telecom services

In a legal advice given to Department of Telecom, Attorney General of India is learnt to have suggested the government not to levy Swachh Bharat Cess on telecom spectrum as it would be illegal but can be imposed on telecom services by amending the Finance Act.

Foreign telcos may not benefit much from payment bank rules

Rules prohibit foreign players from applying for a license as standalone entities. So these players will need an Indian JV partner who holds at least a 24 percent stake in the venture to be eligible.

All 8 applicants to bid for spectrum, no withdrawal

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Idea Cellular, Telewings (Uninor) , Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Aircel are in race to bid for about 403 Mhz of airwaves in 1800 MHz band and 46 MHz spectrum in 900 MHz band.

COAI hints legal dispute on new licensing rules possible

The new licences does not differentiate between 2G, 3G or 4G technology and allows companies to use any technology for providing mobile and other telecom services in service area where they have airwaves.

Exit of telecoms proof of exorbitant auction price: Experts

Rajan S Mathews of the COAI and SC Khanna, former secretary-general, AUSPI explain to CNBC-TV18 that the exit of the three telecom companies was proof that the high level of uncertainty and exorbitant fees did not allow for lowering of costs or prices and hence lacked business sense.