Telecom Minister

Union Communication Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says that Indian mobile tariffs remain the lowest in the world, outlines the government's plans for the telecom sector and how India's 4G Stack can be an alternative to Chinese tech globally in an exclusive interview to Moneycontrol.

5G deployment to begin in August; roll-out to commence in a few cities by year-end

"India's name is on the top of the list of trusted network providers. When India develops a technology, entire world is interested in it," said Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Govt committed to revival of BSNL: Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Prasad also said in Lok Sabha that nearly one lakh employees of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have opted for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).

Cash crunch a political conspiracy to mislead nation: Manoj Sinha

Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha today said that there is enough cash available in the country and the hype around currency shortage has been created to mislead the nation.

Competition a key catalyst for change: Manoj Sinha

Speaking at the annual conference of International Competition Network, Sinha cited a slew of pro-competition measures initiated by the government across various sectors to underscore its positive impact on the overall economy and global rankings in ease of doing business.

Bharat Net Phase-2 may be complete before schedule by December

Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said financial incentives and disincentives should be built into clauses for the second phase of the project to reward players for on time delivery.

Analysing impact of GST, input credit in telecom sector: Manoj Sinha

The GST rate for telecom services is 18 per cent. This is higher than 15 per cent that consumers paid on their phone bills in taxes and cess, before July 1. However, under GST, the telecom operators will also get the benefit of input tax credit, bringing the overall effective rates lower for consumers.

Govt aware of concerns around balance sheet: Manoj Sinha

"The growth is happening. There are certain concerns around the balance sheet of some companies...The government is aware of it and has constituted a inter-ministerial panel to debate all the issues. The panel has already held its first meeting," Sinha said at curtain raiser event of the India Mobile Congress.

Keeping eye on impact of GST on telecom sector, says Manoj Sinha

The government has proposed to levy 18 per cent tax on telecom services under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

BSNL starts satellite phone service

The service will cover areas where no networks are present and be provided by INMARSAT which has 14 satellites.

Delhi HC seeks Maran brothers' reply on ED's plea

ED had, on May 2, moved the High Court challenging a special court's February 2 order discharging the Maran brothers and others in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case.

Now, coffee-scented stamps priced at Rs 100 from India Post

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha released the stamps at a function at the post office.

Telecom Minister allays fears over mobile tower radiation

The minister further emphasised that prescribed limits for radiation emissions in India are more stringent than global norms.

Accruals from licence fee, spectrum charges slide during FY17

Accruals from licence fee payments in the telecom sector have fallen from Rs 3,975.6 crore in the first quarter to Rs 3,450 crore in the third quarter of the current fiscal, the Parliament was informed today.

Lower tariff constrains telcos' capacity to invest: Govt

The decline in telecom operators' revenues due to falling tariff impacts their capacity to invest and this can also lead to delay in spectrum payment, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

No plan yet to give telcos option to buy spectrum annually: Manoj Sinha

The minister also said that the government has not yet decided to conduct another auction of airwaves soon.

MTNL Q3 net loss at Rs 819.96 cr surpasses total revenue

The revenue of MTNL declined by 8.6 per cent from Rs 756.22 crore posted in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal.

Aircel-Maxis case: Court to pass order on charge on February 2

Special Judge O P Saini, who was scheduled to pass the order today on framing of charges as well as on bail applications of the Maran brothers and other accused persons, deferred it to the next date, saying the order was not ready.

Telecom Minister assures amendment to TRAI Act being examined

Amendment of TRAI Act, particularly with respect to giving the regulator penal powers, assumed significance after the Supreme Court struck down its decision to impose penalty on operators for call drops

Telecom Min to set up feedback platform to assess call drops

Sinha also warned operators that his Ministry will not hesitate on slapping penalty and other actions in case consumers continue to face the menace of call drops and call failures.

Call drops: Telecom minister to meet CEOs on November 1

"The minister will meet CEOs on call drop issue...we have held one meeting already and this (upcoming) meeting will be for stocktaking and road map for the future," Telecom Secretary JS Deepak said.

Telcos must improve service or face action: Manoj Sinha

On state-owned BSNL performance, Sinha said the company was running in loss since 2007 and now for the first time it has earned profit. The Minister also claimed that the NDA government has invested Rs 20,000 crore in BSNL in 1 year.

Aircel-Maxis: SC dismisses plea against 2G court's jurisdiction

A bench of Justices J S Khehar and Arun Mishra also rejected one of the petitions of South Asia Entertainment Holding Ltd, an accused in the case, in which it had claimed that Aircel-Maxis case was not related to 2G spectrum scam.

Tariff war in telecom sector always benefited consumers: Sinha

Sinha, who addressed the Indian community at the Indian Consulate yesterday, said the telecom sector in India is competitive and if Reliance Jio will make voice calls available at cheap rates, other companies will have to compete to give better quality and rates.

Airtel, Vodafone, Idea apply to bid in mega spectrum auction

"Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have submitted their application forms," an official source said.