Starlink is on the cusp of launching its satellite internet services in India, having cleared a major hurdle by receiving approval for its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) license from India's Department of Telecommunications. Starlink will be the third satellite internet company to be given a license for...
India Permits Operators to Conduct 5G Trials
India's Department of Telecommunications allowed telecom operators to conduct trials for fifth-generation networks for a period of six months including two months for procuring and setting up equipment. It added that the companies Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and MTNL will work with Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia and state-owned technology...
Idea-Vodafone Merger Creates India's Biggest Telco
With the approval of the Federal Government's Department of Telecommunications, the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular will create the country's largest mobile phone operator worth more than $23 billion with a 35 percent market share. In the combined entity, Vodafone will own a 45.1 percent stake, while the...
India Adopts Strong Net Neutrality Rules
India's Department of Telecommunications approved net neutrality rules, which require that all users must have equal access to legal online content at the same price and speed. "Internet access services should be governed by a principle that restricts any form of discrimination or interference in the treatment of content," the new...
India to Enable In-Flight Connectivity, Increase Wifi Spots
The Government of India will allow the use of data and voice services on flights over the country's airspace. This is one of several recommendations from India's Telecom Commission, a part of the federal Department of Telecommunications. The administration will develop a licensing framework for "in-flight connectivity providers" in three...
In India, 7 Telecom Firms Will Participate in Spectrum Auction
Seven telecom firms have applied to India's Department of Telecommunications to participate in the upcoming spectrum auction beginning October 1, and they have made a total earnest money deposit of over $2.3 billion to acquire rights to use spectrum in a number of frequencies. According to the amount of earnest...