Latest news with #ModiTelstra
India.com
5 days ago
- Business
- India.com
India's first mobile phone call was made by this man in..., it cost Rs...
India's first mobile phone call was placed by the then West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu on July 31, 1995. (File/Archival) First mobile phone call: Mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives today's modern world, but there was a time when these gadgets were a novelty, and it cost a ridiculous amount of money to place a mobile phone call even if you were among the few who owned the device. Who placed India's first mobile phone call? Three decades ago, on July 31, 1995, then then West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu scripted history when he placed India's first-ever mobile phone call using a Nokia handset, to the then Union Communication Minister Sukh Ram, marking the beginning of a new era of digital communication in the country. The call between two major cities — West Bengal capital Kolkata, and national capital New Delhi– was made on the Modi Telstra network, a joint venture between India's BK Modi and Australia's Telstra. How much did the phone call cost? While India is today regarded as a powerhouse of digital communications, boasting impressive penetration from the remotest villages to metro cities, but 30 years ago, mobile network technology was still in its nascent stages, and it cost a lot of money to make a phone call using a mobile phone. At that time, when mobile communication was still in its infancy, owning a handset was a luxury not many could afford. Additionally, subscribers had to shell out hefty charges for the privilege of making a call using mobile networks. The call charges were based on the dynamic pricing model, costing Rs 8.4 per minute (around Rs 23 in today's money), while the charges doubled during peak hours to Rs 16.8 per minute, which translates to a whopping Rs 170, when adjusted for inflation. What are the current mobile tariffs in India? Needless to say, owning a mobile phone and making calls using one, was a luxury only a few could afford back when Basu made the country's first mobile phone call. However, today India has one of the cheapest mobile tariff plans and internet charges in the world, thanks in large to the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio, which revolutionized the country's telecom industry following its 2016 launch. The Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major, which has the distinction of being the world's second-largest 5G telecom provider, sparked a digital revolution, which has today resulted in making mobile calls free to any network within the country, while reasonable charges are levied on calls made to other countries.
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Paying Rs 16 to receive calls to ultra-cheap data: 30 years of India's mobile journey
On July 31, 1995, a phone call between Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram in Delhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu in Kolkata opened India to mobile telephony. The call was brief and ceremonial, but it marked the beginning of a journey that would redefine how the country lived, worked and connected. Thirty years later, on July 31, 2025, the anniversary of that first call is a reminder of how an elite luxury turned into the backbone of everyday life for more than a billion mobile networks began with Modi Telstra's GSM service in 1995, limited to Delhi and Kolkata, running on 2G technology with patchy coverage and high tariffs. At the time, both outgoing and incoming calls were charged at Rs 8.40, which even went up to Rs 16 per minute during peak time, the sector expanded with Airtel, Hutch, Idea and BSNL building 2G networks nationwide, ushering in mass adoption by the early 2000s. To mark the 30th anniversary of the first mobile call, Union Minister for Telecommunication, Jyotiraditya Scindia, inaugurated an exhibition on Thursday in Delhi that featured over 300 mobile handsets spanning three decades — from the earliest bulky devices to sleek modern smartphones."From voice to value, India's mobile journey is a global case study. What began with a phone call in 1995 is now powering a trillion-dollar digital economy," BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, who is also the president of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), said at the value was unlocked over the years and India moved from 2G to 2008 spectrum auctions introduced 3G, followed by 4G in the mid-2010s, which truly unlocked internet access. Reliance Jio's entry in 2016 made 4G ubiquitous and affordable, cementing data as central to Indian operators are rolling out 5G, promising faster speeds, lower latency, and the backbone for India's digital the road from that scratchy first call to a billion connections was anything but smooth, shaped by policy stumbles, market battles, and technological leaps that slowly pulled mobile phones out of elite circles and into the hands of everyday the late 1990s, the sector was weighed down by a rigid duopoly and crippling licence fees, leaving subscriber numbers stuck in the low millions and casting doubt on whether mobiles could ever truly go mass in were luxury gadgets, limited by high tariffs and patchy coverage. The promise of mass connectivity seemed distant, almost implausible. Mobiles were still viewed as luxury gadgets, limited by high tariffs and patchy coverage. (Image: AFP) The promise of mass connectivity nearly government's duopoly model restricted competition, while exorbitant licence fees strangled the late 1990s, subscribers numbered barely a million. Industry insiders recall the sector as "crippled before it could even walk." Motorola's early flip phones like the StarTAC and Razr made mobiles a status symbol in India's first decade of mobile adoption. (Image: AFP) It took the New Telecom Policy of 1999 to reverse the switch to a revenue-sharing model was the lifeline telecom companies needed. Only then did expansion seem feasible, though still slow and limited to real inflection point came in 2003, when "Calling Party Pays" was longer did Indians have to pay to receive a call, a small regulatory shift that unlocked a psychological mobiles became less intimidating. Coupled with the arrival of affordable, nearly indestructible Nokia handsets, mobile phones slipped into the hands of clerks, shopkeepers and students. Nokia's sturdy, affordable handsets like the 1100 turned mobile phones from status symbols into everyday tools for millions. (Image: Pexel) advertisementCall rates plunged to under a rupee, prepaid cards worth as little as Rs10 made mobile access possible even in villages, and the missed-call — that peculiar Indian workaround for saving money — became a cultural mid-2000s also saw India's telecom operators battle for Hutch, Idea, BSNL and Reliance Infocomm vied for subscribers, pushing tariffs lower. India was adding millions of users every month, earning the tag of the world's fastest-growing mobile market. Nokia's N70 signalled a new era in India, putting cameras and internet into the hands of everyday mobile users. (Image: India Today) Spectrum auctions for 3G in 2008 were hailed as the next big leap, though high entry costs and poor infrastructure meant the dream of high-speed internet remained SMS was booming, and mobile phones were entrenched in the social fabric — for work, romance, family ties, and the 2000s belonged to voice, the 2010s marked the rise of data. Cheap Chinese handsets and homegrown brands like Micromax and Karbonn flooded the market, riding on Google's Android revolution. Micromax's Q55 'Bling' (2010) epitomised India's turn to homegrown, affordable style phones during Nokia's decline and before smartphones took over. (Image: Amazon/Micromax) Smartphones, once aspirational, became 2011, India crossed 800 million subscribers, with Facebook and WhatsApp overtaking SMS as the dominant forms of the first time, the internet was not just on desktops but in people's pockets. Yet for all its promise, data remained costly and uneven. Rural users were often priced out of the inequality collapsed in 2016 with a disruption that upended the market. Reliance Jio's entry offered free calls and months of free 4G data. Rivals called it predatory; consumers called it liberation. BlackBerry, once the phone of India's elite professionals, lost ground as touchscreens and affordable Android smartphones reshaped the market. (Image: Pexel) advertisementWithin two years, Jio had rewritten the rules, forcing mergers, exits and prices plunged by over 90 percent. India became the world's largest consumer of mobile data, streaming cricket matches, bingeing on Bollywood, paying bills on UPI, and discovering a new economy that lived inside their phones. The Jio moment didn't just change telecom, it reshaped commerce, media, and governance itself. Apple's iPhone, launched in India in 2007, set the benchmark for smartphones and remains aspirational. (Image: Pexel) The rollout of 5G in 2022 brought another leap, but by then, the phone had long stopped being a phone. It had become a bank for the unbanked, a television for the masses, a classroom for students, and a tool of political 2025, India sits with over 1.2 billion connections and 750 million smartphone users, the world's second-largest market. They serve simultaneously as India's bank, enabling seamless digital payments; as a classroom, opening access to education across geography and class; as a television, streaming entertainment into the palm of one's hand; and as a vital lifeline, linking millions to healthcare, government services, work opportunities and personal networks.- Ends
Time of India
31-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
30 years since India's first mobile phone call: With eyes on future, country aims to lead 6G
It's astonishing to imagine that just three decades ago, in July 1995, mobile phones were a distant dream for most Indians. The telecom landscape changed forever on July 31 that year, when West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu dialed Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram to make the country's very first mobile call, using a Nokia handset on the Modi Telstra network which operated on Nokia supplied telecom equipment. That simple moment marked the beginning of what would become a remarkable saga of technological transformation, reshaping how people live, work and communicate. From Luxury to Mass Connectivity In those early days, mobile phones were a symbol of status - bulky, expensive and reserved for a privileged few. Networks were sparse and tariffs so high that calls were planned and brief. Fast forward to today, India's telecom sector is among the second largest and most vibrant in the world, serving more than 1.2 billion subscribers. It is not just a story of numbers; it's about how connectivity has woven itself into the fabric of Indian society, bridging distances, creating opportunities and powering aspirations. Since that first call, the progress of India's telecom sector has been nothing short of spectacular. While the late 1990s and early 2000s saw a rapid expansion of mobile infrastructure, the sector truly came of age with the advent of affordable services and innovative prepaid models that made mobile access available to millions across both major cities and remote villages. From mere feature phones to smartphones, India's smartphone market has become the second largest in the world by volume, having surpassed the US in 2024. Even the affordability factor for premium smartphones has come down significantly. The turning point arrived with the introduction of data services and the internet via 2G, followed by a leap in adoption with the widespread rollout of 3G and subsequently the 4G. Over time, the focus shifted dramatically from just voice connectivity to data, reflecting the nation's hunger for information and communication. While India followed the global curve during the 2G and 3G eras and caught up with the world in 4G, it surprised many by emerging as the country with the fastest 5G rollout in the world. Now, with a bold vision to lead in future technologies, India is actively working on developing 6G, not just to adopt, but to help shape and set global standards. Government Initiatives Fueling Digital Inclusion Government policies have consistently played a catalytic role in this transformation. From liberalising the sector, encouraging healthy competition and reducing license fees to spearheading digital missions like Digital India and BharatNet, policymakers have made connectivity an inclusive goal. Programs such as the National Broadband Mission and the Universal Service Obligation Fund have focused on expanding networks to rural and remote areas, ensuring that the benefits of digital technology reach every corner of the country. The remarkable rise in rural tele-density, once lagging far behind urban India, is a testament to these inclusive efforts. Telecom by the Numbers India can take pride in its robust telecom figures where wireless subscribers have reached more than 1.16 billion, broadband users exceed 974 million and total telecom connections have crossed the 1.2 billion mark. The national tele-density now stands at just over 85%, with remarkable progress in bridging the urban-rural gap. Another testament to the rapid digital transformation and to the strength of India's telecom infrastructure, is the surge in data consumption. As of September 2025, the average monthly wireless data usage per user in India crossed 21 GB. What was once a metropolitan luxury is today a lifeline for rural India; school children use smartphones for learning, farmers access market rates online and families stay connected regardless of geography. Quality and Innovation driving the Telecom Renaissance Yet, the industry is not defined only by numbers. Quality, affordability and innovation are at the forefront of India's telecom renaissance. The expansion of 4G brought high-speed internet to the masses, positioning India as a global leader in data consumption. The arrival and rapid penetration of 5G are now setting the stage for breakthroughs in healthcare, education, manufacturing and digital government services. Even more exciting is the vision of Bharat 6G, where India aims to not only adopt but drive the development of next-generation connectivity technologies. This technological evolution has had a profound and far-reaching economic impact. The sector accounts for approximately 6% of India's GDP, underpinning vast swathes of commerce, entrepreneurship, and employment. Affordable smartphones and ever-dropping data prices have not only democratised access but also incubated a thriving digital economy, startups, e-commerce, digital payments and content creation are flourishing like never before. Telecom infrastructure has become the backbone for everything from mobile banking to telemedicine, empowering individuals and businesses to dream bigger. Policy Evolution and Future Ready Networks Policy evolution has been instrumental in supporting this dynamism. The Telecommunications Act of 2023, as one recent example, seeks to address the sector's contemporary needs by focusing on inclusivity, transparency, consumer protection, and the modernisation of network infrastructure. Security, privacy and innovation are at the heart of the sector's new direction, ensuring that the next thirty years are as exciting and transformative as the last. India's telecom revolution is a story of empowerment. A journey that has taken the country from a handful of mobile phones to more than a billion, with the promise that every citizen, no matter where they live, can be part of the nation's digital future. Recently, Hon'ble telecom minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that the Central government is preparing a $4-billion investment plan to connect every village in the country with high-speed broadband, in a bid to achieve a 100% telecom connectivity saturation in remote regions. As we mark thirty years since the first historic call, the distance between dream and reality continues to shrink, powered by technology, vision and an unyielding commitment to connect every Indian. The next chapter, shaped by 5G, 6G, and homegrown innovation, promises to be even more transformative, cementing India's place as a global leader in digital inclusion and connectivity. (DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are the author's personal.)
