InterneTelecom
New Delhi: Leading telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) continued their active subscriber losing streak in November, impacted by tariff hikes in July last year and churn in low-paying users, according to brokerages.
Telecom operators, including Jio and Airtel, have introduced voice and SMS-only tariff packs following a directive from Trai.
Direct-to-cell communications via satellites — being pioneered by Elon Musk’s Starlink — is unlikely to disrupt Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel’s mobile broadband business anytime soon as the satcoms technology is still at a nascent stage and will also be hugely dependent on telcos to access the latter’s compatible 4G airwaves for connecting with smartphones, say analysts at JM Financial.
They had reached an agreement with Singapore-based Manipura Digital Infrastructure OPCO Pte Ltd for a combined value of Rs 12.1 crore in November 2023.
TRAI will start, this month, a pilot to onboard paper-based and past permissions given by customers for receiving commercial communications onto its digital distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, a process that in the long-run would include scrubbing and verifying their current validity and offering opt-outs to those keen on it, Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said, adding that tighter regulations on curbing spam as well as new consultation examining an authorisation framework for telemarketers can also be expected in coming weeks.
Top telcos and legal experts have flagged concerns over the draft data protection rules, saying clauses around transferring personal data outside India may affect international long distance (ILD) calls and sending text messages overseas or even sending WhatsApp messages to international numbers.
"Smartphone penetration and growing data usage have been the largest contributors to accelerating revenue growth for telecom companies even though subscriber addition has been relatively modest," said Balaji Subramanian, vice president at equity research firm IIFL Securities.
TRAI’s report on the telecom industry’s fiscal second quarter performance also indicated that monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) from wireless services rose 9.60% on-quarter to Rs 172.57.
In 2022, the Centre approved a second revival package for BSNL and MTNL amounting to ₹1.64 lakh crore, that included financial support for de-stressing the balance sheet, capital expenses, settlement of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, and viability gap funding (VGF) for rural landline connections.
Earlier this month, Vodafone sold its remaining 3% stake in Indus via multiple block deals, raising around Rs 2,801.7 crore, and fully exited the Indian tower company that is now a Bharti Airtel subsidiary.
Vi, which is yet to roll out 5G services, now no longer needs to submit these bank guarantees, and the Centre’s decision now opens the space for lenders to extend much-needed credit to the struggling telco.
The company aims to bolster its 4G and 5G networks and upgrade its remaining 2G users in B&C circles amid competition from Reliance Jio, and even as Vodafone Idea (Vi) readies to quickly revamp its 4G operations and launch 5G, backed by its recent fundraise via the equity route.