Unsure of future, telco staff seek opportunity elsewhereThe development comes after Airtel and Voda Idea posted unprecedented losses and stare at huge statutory dues.- Airtel’s AGR burden likely to get heavierThe department of telecom is set to hold Bharti Airtel liable for some dues of Videocon tele and Aircel.
- Fund-raising to boost Bharti Airtel's books: AnalystsBharti Airtel’s application for permission to increase its foreign shareholding limit to 100 per cent is still pending with the government.
- RCom Insolvency: CoC expects to raise Rs 14,000 cr from assetsAssets up for sale include airwaves in the 850 MHz band in 14 of India’s 22 telecom circles, about 43,000 telecom towers, some fibre and data centres. Bharti Airtel has made the highest bid of Rs 9,000 crore and has offered upfront payment but wants all the assets and not parts of it.
- Next spectrum auction likely in April-June 2020The sector regulator has suggested a base price for 5G airwaves of Rs 492 per MHz and has proposed a minimum sale of 20 MHz blocks. That would mean a telco having to spend close to Rs 10,000 crore for 20 MHz and Rs 50,000 crore for 100 MHz--rates that the companies have said are exorbitant.
- No more free fiber: Reliance Jio starts billing home broadband usersNew customers are now being billed, and old customers have been told to choose one pack or another.
- NCLT directs DoT not to suspend Aircel’s spectrum licenseThe battle between Aircel , which keeled under a debt of Rs 26,000 crore, and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) started when the latter demanded dues on airwaves be paid to the government failing which licenses should be suspended .
- Airtel, Jio bid for RCom telecom assetsBharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Varde Capital and UV Asset Reconstruction Company have submitted bids to buy assets of debt-ridden Reliance Communications.
- Airtel, Jio, 2 others eye Reliance Communications assets as bids open on MondayWhile Airtel and Jio are expected to bid mainly for RCom's 850 MHz spectrum, I Squared Capital is likely to vie for the telco's data centres and optic fibre assets. RCom's 43,000 towers, housed under Reliance Infratel, are also up for sale.
- Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea move SC, seek review of certain directions on AGRThe telcos have sought a limited review of the October 24 ruling, and haven’t challenged the entire SC order.
- CII urges relief relief for telcosThe industry body drew parallels between the airlines and telecom sector where both have faced consolidation, price wars and are capital intensive sectors which have high taxes. The letter highlights the impact of AGR dues which if recovered, will impact viability of telcos and other players in the industry.
- DoT to take up Rs 36,000 crore ITC refund with finance ministryAs proposed by Committee of Secretaries, GST Council to take final call. Input tax credit worth some Rs 18,000 crore for Reliance Jio, about Rs 10,000 crore for Bharti Airtel and roughly Rs 8,000 crore for Vodafone Idea are currently stuck with the finance ministry.
- Will need government support for timely repayment: Voda Idea to lendersVoda Idea’s top management has cautioned lenders that timely repayments may not be possible without govt relief
- Voda Idea looking to sell data centers to raise funds: MD Ravinder TakkarTakkar's comments came on a Voda Idea earnings call Friday, a day after the beleaguered telco reported an unprecedented net loss of Rs 50,921.9 crore, weighed down by provisions for statutory liabilities following the top court’s recent AGR ruling.
- Birlas may let Voda Idea go insolvent if government doesn't helpThe recent SC order leaves Vodafone Idea staring at AGR dues of over Rs28,000 crore in additional licence fee.
- Vodafone Idea, Airtel may move SC for AGR ruling review this weekThe industry as a whole faces dues worth over Rs 1.3 lakh crore in licensee fee, spectrum usage charge (SUC), penalties and interest, after SC backed the government’s stance that non-core items should be included while calculating AGR. Licensee fee and SUC are calculated on the basis of AGR.
- Notices to telcos likely this month: AGR dues may rise 10%, delay spectrum saleDoT updating figures to reflect tweaks to AGR definition after Supreme Court order.
- AGR ruling to herald more job cuts, hiring freeze in telecomThe already stressed telecos have less than three months to pay the Rs 1.3 lakh crore in license fees and SUC.
- Big blow for telcos as Supreme Court backs DoT definition of AGRThe apex court has ruled that AGR should include all revenue accrued to carriers. But, now the government is in a bind over how to recover more than Rs 1.3 lakh crore from and already stressed sector. Vodafone Idea will be the worst affected.
- Jio comes up with new tariffs with IUC of 1000 minutes weaved inEach new tariffs will come with 1000 minutes of offnet IUC minutes, which would have cost users Rs 80 if purchased separately. The plans also have data worth 56GB, 112 GB and 168 GB worth of data.
- Jio withdraws low-value prepaid packs; Rs 98 is now the starting recharge voucherTelco’s bundled recharge packs now start at Rs 98, Rs 19, Rs 52 plans removed after IUC recovery bid
- Bombay High Court directs tax department to refund Rs 788.39 crore to Vodafone-IdeaThe tussle between the telco and the IT department started regarding the assessment order 2017-2018 financial year, in which the Kumar Mangalam Birla promoted company suffered losses in excess of Rs 6,600 crore.
- Jio won’t bill broadband users for a month at leastUsers who had signed up for JioFiber trials, continue to get the services for free. Now, Jio won’t be able to charge customers for home broadband services for at least another month as it is migrating to an integrated billing system that is yet to stabilise.
- NCLT reserves order in RCom versus DoT case over spectrum dues The RCom-DoT clash mirrors a similar battle between the government and another bankrupt telco, Aircel, which is also undergoing insolvency. Even in that case, Department of Telecommunications has asked the operator to return its airwaves.
- Relief for sector: Telcos may get 2-year holiday on spectrum paymentsA two-year holiday on payment of spectrum dues totaling over Rs 40,000 crore is in the works for telecos.
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