Mobile, Internet, etc

The government 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.

Telecom tariffs have come down significnatly and so does the profitability of the country’s top telecom firms. Telecom companies are demanding a cut in licence fees and spectrum charges promising to pass on that benefit to subscribers.

India’s largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel Limited has revived its african safari once again. The deal may leave out high Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) markets of ZAIN like Morocco and West Asia. Zain is also fighting legal disputes in Nigeria.

Bharti Airtel on Monday announced that it has entered into exclusive talks with Zain Telecom for acquiring its African mobile operations for $10.7 billion.

Tata Teleservices wants the government to look seriously at 4G mobile technology. The demand for 4G comes from operators even as the government has been unable to get the 3G auction off the ground.

Telecom tower companies are quite the flavour of the season. Quippo-Tata Tele has its sight set high and may actually consider an Initial Public Offering (IPO) to get there.

The telcom sector is losing shine. Bharti, India’s largest private telecom player, saw only a small increase in profit, as lower tariffs and high competition squeezes margins.

The Registrar of Companies (RoC) has finally submitted its report on the investigation of Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications (RCom) to the ministry of corporate affairs.

The government has postponed the 3G auctions by about 10 days. The auctions are likely to be held around February 20-22.

The per second billing introduced by telecom companies has come as a boon to millions of mobile users in the country but it is proving to be a bane for cellular service providers as it is affecting their revenues, feel industry experts.

Reliance Communications is learnt to have begun talks with strategic and financial investors for selling five per cent stake in its tower unit prior to the planned initial public offering.

Diversified Group GTL on Thursday said it will acquire 17,500 telecom towers of mobile service provider Aircel Ltd for a total consideration of Rs 8,400 crore.

GTL Infrastructure, which on Thursday agreed to buy the tower business of Aircel, plans to have a footprint of 50,000 towers over the next three years, chairman Manoj Tirodkar said here on Thursday.

Sunil Mittal-owned Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said it will acquire 70 per cent stake in Warid Telecom of Bangladesh for $300 mn (about Rs 1,363 crore).

The government today said it will introduce mobile number portability across the country by March 31, 2010, a three-month delay from the scheduled date of launch.

The heat is on for India’s mobile phone companies who are under the scanner for an alleged fudging of their books and under-reporting of revenues.

Bharti Airtel today said it is looking at acquisitions in the SAARC region, especially in Bangladesh.

In a surprise move that could deprive it of over Rs 5,000 crore in revenue, the government has said the 3G telephony spectrum available with it for sale currently could accommodate only three operators.

The Reserve Bank on Wednesday tightened the guidelines for external commercial borrowings by withdrawing relaxations provided to companies to raise money from overseas debt markets, a move that will contain surge of capital flows.

The Reserve Bank on Wednesday tightened the guidelines for external commercial borrowings by withdrawing relaxations provided to companies to raise money from overseas debt markets, a move that will contain surge of capital flows.