Mobile, Internet, etc

Mobile phone users will finally be able to access advanced data transfer and high-speed internet on their handsets through 3G technology and broadband wireless access (BWA), post-September 2010. The department of telecom (DoT) has set September as the timeline when successful bidders will be allowed to use the allotted airwaves for commercial operation.
The government on [...]

India will hold the much-delayed bandwidth auctions for third generation, or 3G, mobile phone services on April 9, the federal government said Wednesday, paving the way for telecom operators to offer high-speed voice and data applications.
The government will invite applications from prospective bidders from Feb. 25 and the last day for submitting bids [...]

American Tower Corp.’s Indian subsidiary agreed to acquire the Essar Group’s tower unit for about $430 million to increase its presence in emerging markets.
The transaction, announced in statements today, is American Tower’s third acquisition in India in 12 months. It will more than double the number of cell towers the company will operate in the [...]

The union Budget 2010-11 neglected the telecom industry’s special demands. Telcos were looking at a rationalisation of tax and levies, uniform license fee of one per cent of the AGR. Telcos wanted a re-look at direct tax, tax holidays and section 81 (A), a re-look at licenses and indirect taxes. As far as infrastructure products [...]

India invited mobile phone companies Thursday to take part in its long-delayed auction of third-generation (3G) bandwidth and said successful bidders could offer services from September.
The auction set for April 9 and expected to reap the government billions of dollars has been postponed three times due to bitter discord between ministries over such issues as [...]

Mobile firms in India added a record 19.90 million subscribers in January, taking total users in the world’s fastest-growing, and second-largest, wireless market to 545.05 million, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said.
In December, the firms had added 19.10 million users.Mobile subscribers grew at a monthly average of nearly15
million in 2009.Source

India has welcomed telecom giant Bharti Airtel’s plan to acquire Kuwait-based Zain’s African operations, saying it was a deal that would be “attractive and mutually beneficial” for both the partners.
Issuing a statement on Bharti’s $10.7 billion offer to buy Zain’s African assets, other than those in Sudan and Morocco, India’s Ambassador to Kuwait Ajai Malhotra [...]