Category Archives: Telecom

Issues connected with telecom matters

Telcos owe Rs. 9,600 crore to Govt. on licence fee, spectrum charges

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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To a question in the Parliament, Milind Deora, Minister of state for Communications informed that the telecom companies owe Rs. 9,636.34 crore towards of payment of licence fee and spectrum charges to the government. This includes the amount to be paid by the telecom PSUs also. The details also have been given. Bharti Airtel: Rs. 3,275.56 crore, BSNL: Rs. 2,092.95 crore, Reliance: 1,656.23 crore, Vodafone: Rs. 1,122.01 crore, Tata: Rs. 458.32 croew and Idea cellular: 428.06 crore.

Private telcos issued notice for cheating government.

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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5 private telecom companies viz. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Tata teleservices and Reliance have been issued notices by the government for understating their revenues and paying less charges, thus cheating the government. As per the Special Audit conducted by the Government for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 the cheating was found out. Reliance has understated  Rs. 3,402.92 crores, Tata Rs. 3,156.46 crore, Bharti Airtel 1,927.50 crore, Vodafone Rs. 1,490.94 crore and  Idea Cellular 848.87 crore. The total amount comes to Rs. 10,826. 69 crore which also includes an interest of Rs. 1,841.67 crore.The information was given by Minister of state for Communications Shri Milind Deora to Parliament Question.

This is one way by which the private companies cheat the government and increase the profits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOT should take strong action against illegal 3G service by private companies

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

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It has been reported several times that DOT has asked Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular to stop providing 3G services in those circles where they have not been allotted 3G licences. These private telecom operators were illegally providing the services for the last so many months against the existing rules. Though notices have been issued more than once, no action has been taken by DOT against these erring companies.  BSNL has been compelled to pay for 3G in all circles at the rate of the highest bid, even though it was not allowed to bid in the auctions. BSNL had to pay for all the circles. But the above companies paying for a few circles are providing services in all circles sharing the spectrum between them.

Immediate and strong action, including cancellation of their existing 3G spectrum and imposing high penalty are required without any further delay.

The Telecom Factories should be modernised, strengthened.

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

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BSNL has got 7 Telecom Factories under it. They are situated at Alipore, Gopalpur, Kharagpur ( all in Kolkata), Jabalpur, Richai (both in Jabalpur), Bhilai and Mumbai. Alipore and Jabalpur Factories were existing even before independence and were supplying most of the equipment required for the Telecommunications. Other factories were also manufacturing essential equipment to BSNL.
The V Central Pay Commission recommended that these Factories should either be wound up or privatised. The then AITE Union Class III (Namboodiri) took up the matter with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee Com. Somnath Chatterjee, M.P., who called a meeting of the union, DOT and connected officers. After detailed discussion it was decided that the Factories should not be closed but should be modernised and improved. So the TFs were not closed.
But the recommendations of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee were not implemented. The neglect of the TFs continued by the DOT and later by BSNL. BSNLEU demanded that a committee should be formed with union representatives to examine and recommend improvements. The Committee was formed with then GM(TF) Shri Nigam and Com.VAN Namboodiri, GS, BSNLEU which visited all the factories, examined the proposals for new productions, working environment etc. and submitted its recommendations. About 30% of the recommendations of the Committee might have been implemented, but many issues are still pending.
There are hundreds of towers manufactured and kept ready in the factories as per the indent of various circles, waiting to be purchased by the SSAs. But the SSA heads are purchasing the towers from the open market. While there are about 1500 towers manufactured and kept ready for supply, why the SSA heads are purchasing from outside? These and other issues were raised very seriously in the last meeting of the National Council by the Staff Side members. The administration was completely in the defence with no convincing reply to be given.
It is understood that after the discussion, the management is proceeding with some of the demands on new product etc. BSNLEU will persue with all its strength to see that new productions, modernisation etc. are implemented and the factories are revived.

2G Scam – Special CBI Court slam the investigation for not naming private telco officers

09 Saturday Mar 2013

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The Special CBI Court ridiculed the CBI investigation team asking why only the government officers are named and charge sheeted in the 2G Scam case. There are always two parties in corruption and why the private company officers are not named in the charge sheet and only naming the companies Airtel and Vodafone. This is certainly a pertinent question. The person who gives the bribe also should be charge sheeted and punished along with the person who accepted the bribe. This is necessary for meting out justice.
It is clear that the government is afraid of touching the high profile officers of the private companies. It is well known that the CBI acts as per the advice of the government and has not named them.
In this country justice is being tilted to suit the high and mighty. This has to be changed

Private telcos refuse shift under Number Portability

09 Saturday Mar 2013

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The government has ordered Number Portability about one year back. According to this a mobile subscriber can change the telecom operator, still retaining his number. Lakhs of subscribers have applied for change of operators to utilise this facility. As far BSNL is concerned, it has allowed the shifting in almost all cases, except very few cases where there are some problems. But the private telecom companies have been stubbornly resisting shifting of their subscribers to other companies to the disadvantage of the subscribers. Bharti Airtel has rejected 3.7 million subscribers, Vodafone 2.7 million and Idea 2.1 million from shifting their companies through Number Portability. Though the TRAI /Govt. has fixed Rs. 10,000 penalty for such denial, so far not a single company has been punished.

Free Roaming by October 2013 – Kapil Sibal

08 Friday Mar 2013

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Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has stated that the country will have free roaming services by Octoberr 2013. Though the TRAI has recommended the same earlier, the government did not implement so far due to the strong opposition by the private telecom companies. Their contention is that the roaming service charges will be about 9% of their total revenue and loss of the same will have serious effect.

We have to see whether the assurance of the Minister will be implemented by October 2013, as the government usually succumbs to the pressures of MNCs and big business.

Free Roaming by October 2013 – Kapil Sibal

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Telecom minister Kapil Sibal today said that mobile phone consumers will get Free National Roaming Facility across India by October 2013 as announced in National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012.
However Kapil Sibal could not specify the exact dates for the launch of Free National Roaming Service in India, but said that “FREE Roaming will certainly be in place by the month of October, 2013″. With this service, the roaming charges on Incoming calls are waived and mobile users in all telecom circles will be able to get FREE incoming calls while traveling to any other circles across India.

India’s National Telecom Policy 2012 was approved by the Central Government in May 2012 and under the policy, the Government had said that national roaming would be made free with the introduction of concept of “One Nation, One License” which was expected in March 2013.

However all mobile service providers (except Reliance Mobile) including leading operators like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular had been opposing Free roaming in the consultation process by Telecom regulator TRAI and said that it will hit their margins badly and outgoing call rates may be increased.(Press Report)
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CBI files case against Airtel, Tata etc. for cheating.

25 Monday Feb 2013

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We had always pointed out that the private telecom companies are cheating and avoiding taxes in many ways to increase their profits. In this connection, the latest is the cheating by Airtel, Tata and Singapore Telecommunications by unauthorisedly giving international connections. A press report in this connection is given below:

NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered a case in a Delhi court against Bharti Airtel Ltd, Tata Communication Ltd and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd for allegedly causing a loss of nearly Rs 48 crore to the government since 2004 by illegally providing international long distance (ILD)services.

All the three telecom companies have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Indian Penal Code and also under the Indian Telegraph Act for violating the department of telecommunications’ licencing norms.

The FIR has been filed in a local court on a complaint of ministry of communications and IT.

When contacted, Bharti Airtel had no comments to offer while Tata Communications said it would not comment on speculation.

Private telcos increase tariffs

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

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It is reported that Bharti Airtel has increased its telecom tariffs. The Rs.1/ for one minute will now be raised to Rs.2 for one minute. It is also reported that Idea and Vodafone are also moving towards increasing the tariffs.
It seems that the customer-sweet tariffs are going to end due to fierce competition. Now the time is coming for higher tariffs.

The private telecom companies have already threatened that they will stop roaming services, if the roaming charges are discontinued.The continued surrender of the government to the pressures of the private companies have made them bolder and to threaten the government.

No report has come from BSNL and MTNL with regard to increase of tariff. Of course, they will have to consult the government.