Telecom Industry

As a matter of fact, in January this year Airtel paid Rs 8,325 crore to the government towards spectrum liabilities that it owed since the purchase made in 2015. In the 2015 auction, Airtel has acquired 111.6 MHz of spectrum for Rs 29,130.20 crore and according to the rules, the company had paid an upfront payment of Rs 7,832.58 crore. Before that, in July last year Airtel prepaid Rs 8,024 crore to clear the liabilities accrued on the 2015 spectrum purchase.

According to informed sources, the telecom giant has garnered a "soft commitment" from investors, which encompasses contributions from promoters as well. The intended use of these funds includes clearing vendor dues and directing investments towards bolstering both 4G and 5G infrastructure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office & Innovation Centre marked a significant step in this journey.

The IMC, jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), has brought together the leading minds across policy and corporate landscape from India and elsewhere.

According to the market research firm Dell’Oro Group, the worldwide telecom equipment revenues, excluding North America, increased by 7 per cent in the first half, supporting the thesis that the telecom equipment market remains robust outside of the US.

The bill proposes to enlarge the scope of telecommunication services by including OTT, Internet-based and satellite-based communication services, broadcasting, internet and broadband services within its ambit. This provision was, however, objected to by social media and technology companies, arguing that it could result in regulation of OTT communication applications.

The lawsuit was filed in US District Court for the District of Arizona against Avid Telecom, its CEO Michael Lansky and VP of Operations and Sales Stacey Reeves.

The company also said its Board of Directors have recommended a final dividend of Rs 4 per fully paid-up equity share of face value Rs 5 each and Re 1 per partly paid-up equity share of face value Rs 5 each (paid-up Rs 1.25 per share) for the financial year 2022-23.

Margherita Della Valle, Group Chief Executive, said their performance has not been good enough. "To consistently deliver, Vodafone must change. My priorities are customers, simplicity and growth. We will simplify our organisation, cutting out complexity to regain our competitiveness," she said in a statement as the company posted its FY23 results.