Airtel, Tata Play call off DTH merger talks
Bharti Airtel
has officially called off discussions with the
Tata
Group regarding a potential merger of their Direct-To-Home (DTH) businesses. The telecom giant, through a regulatory filing said that both parties have mutually decided to terminate the discussions after failing to arrive at a "satisfactory resolution."
#Pahalgam Terrorist Attack
Code of war: India and Pakistan take their battle to the (web)front
Forex reserves show a pauperised Pakistan, a prospering India
Pakistan conducts training launch of surface-to surface ballistic missile
Tata and Bharti groups were finalising the merger between their loss-making DTH businesses, Tata Play and
Airtel
Digital TV, respectively, in February.
The merger as supposed to take place through a share swap and would have helped bump up Airtel's non-mobile revenues through convergence.
ET Online
Bharti Airtel's exchange filing.
Airtel was expected to own a majority stake of over 50% in the merged entity, as per an ET report from earlier this year.
Tata Play, India's largest DTH provider, was originally Tata Sky and began as a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The Walt Disney Co took over that stake when it acquired Murdoch's 21st Century Fox in 2019.
Live Events
Airtel Digital TV is housed in Bharti Telemedia Ltd, which in turn is a wholly owned arm of the listed flagship Bharti Airtel.
Tata Sons, the holding company of the diversified conglomerate, owns 70% of Tata Play, having bought out Singapore investment firm Temasek Holding Pte's 10% stake in April 2024 for Rs 835 crore ($100 million), valuing the company at $1 billion, down a third from its $3 billion pre-pandemic valuation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Firm defrauds investors of Rs 10.4 crore
Pune: A retired Colonel (48) and five others were defrauded of Rs 10.4 crore by an investment firm that promised high returns on investment between April 2024 and May this year. The firm operated from Koregaon Park. The retired Army officer, a resident of BT Kawade Road, lodged a complaint with the Koregaon Park police on Saturday. The case was transferred to Pune police's economic offences wing (EOW) for further investigation. Senior inspector Sunil Thopte of the Koregaon Park police told TOI, "The victims approached us after the prime suspect in the case locked his offices located in Wakad and Koregaon Park. The suspect is on the run while his sons and wife are staying in Koregaon Park. All the office bearers are residents of Koregaon Park and Dhanori." Thopte said, "The complainant was introduced to the suspect by one of his relatives. The suspect enticed the complainant and his friends with promises of a 30% return on investment. He claimed that he invested the money collected from investors in shares and earned a good profit." The officer said, "After winning the trust of the victims, the suspect accepted investments worth Rs 4.4 crore and also gave them receipts of his firm." Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that four to five individuals, who are yet to approach the police, have already been cheated by the suspect, and the scope of the fraud is likely to expand.
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bluarmor C20 Mesh Helmet Intercom launched at Rs 9,999: Details
Bengaluru-based startup Bluarmor has launched the Bluarmor C20 helmet intercom system priced at Rs 9,999. The company has introduced a limited-time price of Rs 6,999 for customers who purchase the device before 22 June. Interested customers can book the intercom at Bluarmor's official website and deliveries are scheduled to commence on 18 June. The new C20 is developed using the same platform as BluArmor's premium Mesh Intercom lineup, the C50. It carries over many of the essential features, with certain components adjusted or omitted to offer a more budget-friendly alternative. The C20 also shares its dimensions and design with the C50, placing it among the most lightweight and compact mesh intercom systems currently available. Feature-wise, it includes HD voice and audio, Bluetooth 5.3, crash detection, dual-level noise filtering, interchangeable microphones , and cross-brand connectivity. This interoperability feature enables pairing with Bluetooth devices from other manufacturers. Other features include over-the-air firmware updates, music-sharing capabilities, Ride Grid Lite advanced mesh intercom technology , and eRide Grid Mesh Over Cloud connectivity. The C20 is compatible with the same enhancement accessories offered for the C50. These include the Magdock magnetic mount, Ride Aura feature, and the Wireless T-Stick handlebar controller, which enables riders to operate the device using joystick-style inputs. Discover everything about the automotive world at Times of India .
New Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
'Starlink isn't going to bring millions and millions of customers into the fold'
The Indian telecom sector is 'evolving' despite several challenges it is facing. It is in the middle of a transition from 4G to 5G, satellite communication is becoming a reality, and competition is getting more broad-based. Rakesh Kumar caught up with Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar to get an overall view of the sector. An excerpt: BSNL has been profitable for the last two consecutive quarters. How did you make that possible? There is a lot of work going on inside BSNL. We have installed close to 100,000 4G towers in the last 12 months, and around 70,000 of them are active now. All these towers are performing better. So, obviously, we are increasing the customer base. There is a component of that. There is also a component of spending control, and overall efficiency is being improved at BSNL. All these factors have culminated in profitability, but the profit is around Rs 250 crores. That's not our target; it's actually just a tipping point. If the 4G rollout goes according to our plan, ideally, we should be generating a lot more revenue and expanding our customer base. When are you going to stop BSNL subscriber churn? We are gaining subscribers every month. One major limitation is that BSNL only has 100,000 4G towers. If you look at Reliance and Airtel, they have over 500,000–600,000 towers. After completing installation of 100,000 4G towers, we are going to request approval from the Cabinet for another 100,000 towers. We are focusing on increasing cash flow. Once we boost the cash flow, we will inherently have the opportunity to install more 4G and 5G equipment. We are also monetizing BSNL's assets, which will provide additional funding. The government has already given licenses to Starlink and two other satellite players. When will the services start? Granting licenses is our responsibility. The rest is up to Starlink and when they decide to start. I am pretty sure they want to begin as quickly as possible, especially since their basic infrastructure has already been set up. However, it is important to remember that Starlink isn't going to bring millions and millions of customers into the fold. It will play a minor role compared to the rest of the telecom infrastructure. That's because it is expensive, and there will be speed issues. Satellite communication is important as a backup and for some rural areas, where entrepreneurs and others who need a stable and decent connection could benefit. In those areas—like maritime zones and other remote regions—satellite could be very helpful, but it's more of a complementary solution in the overall telecom ecosystem. There were complaints from telcos that satellite services will eat into their business in India. It won't be like that. It will be a bit more expensive compared to terrestrial networks. The speed of satellite internet is much slower than that of terrestrial networks. Besides, satellite internet is not intended for mobile services; it's only for internet service, at least for now. Satellite communication will function more as a backup rather than a primary service. So last year, all the telcos increased their tariffs. Are we expecting more increases this year? If you look at the overall cost, we are much, much cheaper compared to the rest of the world. Obviously, the companies have invested heavily in 5G, and now all these companies are publicly listed, so they have their own concerns regarding growth. But at the same time, if there is effective competition—whether it's Vodafone Idea or BSNL—pricing will naturally come back to a more normal level. The key here is to ensure at least three or four highly effective players remain in the market. There are questions about the quality of services provided by telcos in the country. We are taking a closer look at the quality of service in the country now. We used to monitor and report on a quarterly basis, but now we've changed it to monthly reports. Previously, we monitored at the cell tower (BTS) level. Now, each BTS has 12 cells, so we are monitoring at the cellular level. The intensity and depth of this quality of service monitoring have been revamped.
