12 Saturday Mar 2016
Posted in Telecom
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The story of the private telecom companies cheating the government of its due taxes continues. Latest is the report of the CAG that the private telcos including Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, RCom, Tata have all cheated the government of taxes of about 12,488.93 crore. This is done by understating the revenue of about Rs. 46,045.75 crore.
The government should act immediately and collect the due taxes.
10 Thursday Mar 2016
The Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad informed Lok Sabha today, 10th March 2016, that BSNL has a debt of Rs. 7,666 crore and for MTNL a debt of Rs. 13,530 crore. He also mentioned that these debts have arisen due to the purchase of spectrum. BSNL was compelled to pay Rs. 18,500 crore for spectrum, both BWA and 3G Spectrum and MTNL Rs. 11,097 for the same spectrum. BSNL has returned the BWA spectrum, but the amount of more than Rs.6,600 crore is yet to be paid back by government. For purchasing the spectrum the PSUs took the above loans.
What the government should do is to refund the charges for spectrum which has been returned already by BSNL as also Rs. 1,250 crore from USOF which is pending payment for more than two years.
09 Tuesday Feb 2016
Posted in Telecom
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Putting an end to the discriminating tariff plans of certain net-providers like Facebook and Airtel, the TRAI has taken a firm stand on Net-Neutrality. Violation of Net-Neutrality will invite penalty up to a maximum of Rs.50 lakh.
The TRAI stated as follows: ” Keeping in view of India’s large number of Net users and content producers, the authority has taken a view that prohibition of discriminatory tariff for data services is necessary to ensure service providers continue to fulfill obligations in keeping Internet open and non-discriminatory.”
Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero are barred accordingly. It is reported that Facebook has spent thousands of crores of rupees towards publicity of its Free Basics.
Reason has won at least for the present. TRAI has stated that it may review the decision after two years. The service providers have been given 6 months time to comply with the present decision.
05 Friday Feb 2016
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, BSNLEU, Telecom
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A REPORT FROM BSNL TELESERVICES IS GIVEN BELOW FOR INFORMATION
“We all are seeing the BSNL rejuvenating plans which are becoming the success stories. Yes, BSNL did it. BSNL has declared a new achievement which is, it has got 2 million gross new subscribers for BSNL Mobile in the month of Jan 2016, a new millstone for the efforts they have put in. BSNL is going like a bullet train and very aggressively with its new plans and decisions to make itself one of the best in class service provider for its sector.
Being a Public Sector enterprise, any change is a great deal. BSNL the only PSU in the telecom segment is able to push new boost among its own employees and its stake holders. BSNL strategies and adoptions of market expectations are quite dynamic. On the prima face, we thought that BSNL is trying to stand after a great surge. After a couple months it started running with its new BSNL Mobile Plans and Broadband Plans catalyzing the change in BSNL plans which were quickly accepted by large consumer base making BSNL to drive like a bullet train.
The financial year 2015 16 have given a bight scope of agility among BSNL stake holders. BSNL agenda, to make the company customer centric rather than a monotonous PSU company. To make this realized by its subscribers BSNL had implemented many plans and approach routes and bridged the gap between the subscriber and BSNL.
In this new record, BSNL Employees, Unions, Associations supports with their hard work to achieve this new mile stone, and in this new record Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan records top most growth and Assam, UP East, UP West, HP, Madhyapradesh, Maharashtra and Tamilnadu followed the record of acquiring highest volume of new mobile customers.”
Yes, BSNL is on the way to recovery by the joint efforts of the Unions/Associations and the Management. Let us continue this magnificent effort to bring BSNL to its past glory!
09 Saturday Jan 2016
Posted in Telecom
TRAI has issued a new directive to service providers requiring them to refund security deposit to customers within 60 days of disconnection of service. Failing to refund within the stipulated time period, the service provider will have to pay an interest at rate of 10 percent per annum to the subscriber. (News Report)
08 Friday Jan 2016
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Thousands of MTNL employees joined the demonstration programme at the MTNL C.O. premises in Eastern Court protesting against the delay in settling 78.2% IDA fixation, option for pro-rata pension, implementation of CGHS service etc. Com. Mange Ram Sharma, Chairman of the United Forum of MTNL Unions/Associations presided and Com. M.K.Bagchi, Convener welcomed all. The leaders of the Unions and Associations addressed.
Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, former Convener of the BSNL/MTNL Joint Forum of Unions/Associations addressed the rally, spoke about the united action of the workers and supported the struggle. He reminded about the workers about the united struggles organised by the United Forum earlier, including the Parliament March and strike. He fully supported the struggle of the MTNL workers. He also spoke about the need to improve the services.
06 Wednesday Jan 2016
Posted in Telecom
Department of Defence is expected to hand over the extra spectrum in 1700-2000 Mhzband to DOT within three months, after DOT set up an exclusive defence network for its communication services. This issue has been pending for many years.
The vacated spectrum can be auctioned to the telecom companies for additional spectrum for providing services.
04 Monday Jan 2016
Posted in Telecom
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The TRAI has firmly told the telecom companies to pay compensation for call drops to the customers from 1st January 2016. The compensation for one call drop will be Rs. 1/- and the maximum for a day is Rs.3/- for one customer.
Telecom companies are avoiding payment stating that there is case pending in the court, on which decision is expected on 6th January.
The direction of the TRAI has resulted in less call drops.
23 Wednesday Dec 2015
Posted in Telecom
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New Delhi, Dec 22 Telecom Regulatory Authority ofIndia (TRAI) today told the Delhi High Court that no coercivesteps would be taken against telecom companies till the nextdate of hearing on January 6 for not complying with the calldrop compensation norms.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P S Narasimha made thesubmission before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini andJustice Jayant Nath which listed the pleas of cellularoperators challenging the call drop regulations for furtherhearing on January 6.
The ASG, however, made it clear that the regulations wouldcome into force from January 1 as was decided.
The operators have sought quashing of TRAI’s October 16ruling mandating service providers to pay subscribers Re 1 percall drop experienced on their network, subject to a cap ofthree a day.
Besides Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI),the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India(AUSPI) and 21 telecom operators, including Vodafone, BhartiAirtel and Reliance have said that the decision has been takenknowing fully well that laws of physics make it impossible to provide a hundred per cent call drop-free network.(PTI)
14 Monday Dec 2015
Posted in Telecom
“In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Telecommunications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that telecom firms will face serious consequences if they do not resolve the issue of call drops.”
(Press Report)
It is absolutely necessary. At the same time, Government should assist BSNL to upgrade its infrastructure and procure necessary equipment.
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