COAI has asked DoT to reexamine the spectrum cap rules for the 800 MHz band as the caps are more liberal than other bands used by GSM operators. Mobile manufacturers Micromax, Celkon and Karbonn will invest Rs. 750 crore to set up plants in Andhra Pradesh. BSNL plans to upgrade broadband speeds to 2 mbps at no additional cost as part of the Digital India project.

1. Policy News
 COAI asked DoT to relook spectrum cap rules for 800 MHz
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to
check the spectrum cap rules pertaining to the 800 MHz band. COAI took this initiative as in some cases
the cap is much more liberal than that for spectrum in other bands, which are used by GSM operators.
Under the new rule, 800 MHz band can now be used to offer 4G services. COAI also stated that the
proposed auction-determined price can't be used for liberalization of 800 MHz band in 12 telecom
service areas where the quantum of spectrum auctioned was less than 5 MHz in 12 circles. Hence, such
spectrum can't be used for deploying newer technologies like 3G and LTE. It is widely believed that a
minimum of 5 MHz contiguous airwaves is needed for offering quality 4G services, while some believe
that 3.75 MHz of bandwidth in the 800 MHz band is enough to offer 4G, but may not be good quality.
Industry News
 Three mobile manufacturers to set up plants in AP
Mobile phone manufacturers, Micromax, Celkon and Karbonn have signed Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) with the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government for setting up plants at a mobile
manufacturing hub near Tirupati at an investment of around INR 750 crore. These companies will get 60
acres of land at Renigunta in Chittoor district from the state government. For creating a large ecosystem,
the state government is looking forward to attract at least 30 mobile and electronic gadget makers and is
advance talks with other handset and component manufacturers.
 BSNL to upgrade broadband speed to 2 mbps at no additional cost
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) plans to upgrade the minimum broadband speed to 2 mbps from
512 kbps in October 2015 without any additional cost. The new scheme will offer 1,000 free seconds
across BSNL customers and charge 80 paise per second across any network for the next three months.
This upgradation move was in the backdrop of Digital India Project and has been initiated with an aim to
promote e-governance, connect all gram panchayats by broadband Internet, and transform India into a
connected knowledge country.
 RJIL launched unlimited and free Wi-Fi in Mumbai
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) has launched unlimited and free Wi-Fi services, Jionet, at selected
places such as Lalbaug Cha Raja, Andheri Cha Raja and Sahyadri Cha Raja pandals during the 11 days of
Ganesh Utsav. During this ongoing festival, people would be able to access high speed Wi-Fi internet
services through their mobile devices. The company wants devotees to visit these pandals and sample
the Jionet high speed Wi-Fi data networks. RJIL will use the users' feedback on this digital ecosystem to
improve the services further, as the company is getting ready for its commercial launch by the end of
2015. To start using RJIL’s Wi-Fi service, visitors at these pandals would scan and select Jionet, fill their
details on the pop up message on their respective mobiles and enter one-time password. After every half
an hour, the user has to login again using the same password for continuing the activity.
© Gyan Research and Analytics Pvt. Ltd., 2015 1
Telecommunications News
September 12, 2015 – September 18, 2015

2.  Vodafone launched new roaming pack for Delhi and NCR users
India’s leading telecom operator, Vodafone, has launched 'All in One' roaming pack for its prepaid
subscribers in Delhi and NCR. This new pack unites local talk time, STD, incoming and outgoing roaming
minutes in a single recharge for its prepaid customers. With this offering, around 75 lakh Vodafone users
in Delhi and NCR can avail hometown talk time tariff while travelling anywhere in India. This move is
taken as the company analyzed that during festive months, on an average 30 percent of NCR’s prepaid
customers tend to be on roaming. The company has also designed 'Extended Validity" packs to benefit
such customers.
 Subscriber base of GSM telecom operators in August 2015
Seven GSM telecom operators, Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Aircel, Uninor, Videocon and MTNL have 726.1
million mobile subscribers as on August 2015. The GSM subscribers have increased by 4.49 million in
August 2015 compared to 1.04 million in July 2015. In August, Airtel’s net subscriber addition stood at
1.31 million followed by Idea’s net addition of 1.17 million, followed by Vodafone. The rest of the GSM
operators jointly added less than a million subscribers. Videocon added only 0.09 million subscribers.
Though, BSNL, Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications provide GSM technology based services
but their numbers were not considered in the report. In August 2015, Maharashtra has seen maximum
net subscriber addition at 0.81 million people joining GSM network and UP East circle has seen maximum
mobile customer base of 64.28 million.
 Tata Teleservices deployed TCOE
Tata Teleservices has installed the Telecom Center of Excellence (TCOE) energy monitoring technology at
500 mobile towers. TICET, a joint venture between Tata Teleservices, Department of Telecom and IIT-
Bombay, has developed the product. With the installation of this technology at 500 mobile towers, the
telecom industry can save nearly 10 to 15 percent of their energy spent, which is equivalent to INR 1,000
crore. Using this technology, stakeholders can track energy data points in a robust way and accelerate
deployment of green initiatives. This innovation would help the mobile companies to check power status
at their mobile towers or base stations, know about carbon footprints and monitor actual power supply
from diesel generators.
 Vodafone in talks with IBM for renewal of outsourcing contract
Vodafone India is in talks with IBM to renew the INR 6,600 crore outsourcing contract, which is to expire
in June 2016. IBM is not only trying to retain the contract, but also trying to sell its data analytics solutions
to Vodafone as part of the order. Vodafone has also discussed about the contract with Wipro, Infosys,
Tata Consultancy Services and Tech Mahindra. However, Vodafone has not yet proposed to these
vendors but plans to estimate their capabilities and check whether any of them could deliver end to-end
services and can provide best value for money.
© Gyan Research and Analytics Pvt. Ltd., 2015 2
Telecommunications News
September 12, 2015 – September 18, 2015

3.  Airtel seeks top position as 3G service provider in Odisha
Leading telecom service provider, Bharti Airtel is eyeing to be the top 3G mobile service provider
in Odisha by the next four months. The company has the largest foot print in Odisha in terms of 5003
base transceiver stations. It has already covered 83 percent of the state's population with 9.2 million
subscribers. To fulfill its target, the telecom operator has launched 3G network christened 'Platinum 3G'
which would be available in 27 towns across the state. This 3G network will deliver enhanced voice and
data connectivity. The telecom operator has already introduced 4G services in Odisha. Both the Platinum
3G and 4G network will help the users to experience their world class smart phone network leverage.
 Mahindra Comviva to partner with 20 telecom operators for iEOCN
Mahindra Comviva, a mobile solution provider, plans to tie up with 20 telecom operators worldwide for
its product, interactive End-of-Call Notifications (iEOCN). With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India’s (TRAI) regulation on unsolicited calls and SMS putting a curb on sending telemarketing messages,
the company developed iEOCN and expects the 20 operators to use the product in the coming one year.
It is getting traction from prepaid markets for iEOCN from India, Middle East, Africa, Bangladesh and
South East Asia. The product will help telecom operators to use the space left in messages sent out to
prepaid customers, which includes balance deduction information and other notifications after they avail
a service. Mahindra Comviva, which has mobility solutions allocated to over 130 mobile service providers
as well as financial institutions in over 90 countries, has already piloted the product with Idea Cellular.
Weekly Snapshot
© Gyan Research and Analytics Pvt. Ltd., 2015 3
Telecommunications News
September 12, 2015 – September 18, 2015
Source: Various Published Sources
Top Five Telecom Service Providers in June 2015
Company Name Number of Subscribers (in million)
Bharti Airtel 24.5
Vodafone 22.0
BSNL 18.2
Idea Cellular 16.6
Reliance Communications 9.74

4. © Gyan Research and Analytics Pvt. Ltd., 2015 4
Telecommunications News, September 12 – September 18, 2015
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