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Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Stay tuned! India may soon get satcom services by year-end; Starlink, Jio-SES, Eutelsat secures final nod
NEW DELHI: India may see the first commercial rollout of satellite communication services by December, as Starlink, Reliance Jio-SES, and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb have received all necessary approvals to begin operations. Industry executives say that while infrastructure has long been in place, spectrum allotment delays have prevented these players from launching earlier, costing India both revenue and its potential to become a regional satcom hub. Earlier on Wednesday, Starlink became the third company to receive a commercial go-ahead from space regulator IN-SPACe, after Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES. "Trai had given its recommendation in May. DoT (Department of Telecommunications) typically takes 2 to 3 months on the outer side to come back with its recommendations and present it to the DCC (Digital Communications Commission)," an official from a satellite communications organisation that possesses all necessary authorisations told ET. "Once the DCC approves them, it needs to be vetted by the Cabinet. Then the DoT needs to come out with its rules for allotment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo Optimistically, the government is likely to be in a position to give spectrum by October," the official added. Two industry executives said that once the spectrum is allotted, it would take about a month to roll out commercial services. "So basically, a month from then, services can be launched. We are looking at a November end-December timeline (for launch of commercial services) at an optimistic level," ET noted quoting officials. The three companies have now secured all necessary approvals to provide space services, with Starlink recently obtaining its GMPCS licence. Meanwhile, Amazon Kuiper and Globalstar (Apple's satcom partner) continue to await regulatory clearances from Indian authorities. India's space economy shows significant promise, with projections from IN-SPACe indicating potential growth to $44 billion by 2033, representing approximately 8% of global market share. The annual satellite communication revenue opportunity stands at $1 billion. The Department of Telecommunications will establish pricing and regulations for satellite spectrum allocation through administrative means, following Trai's recommendations. This decision came after intense disagreements between telecommunications companies advocating spectrum auctions and satellite companies preferring administrative allocation. "We don't believe any of the players will have any head start in launching commercial services, Since Airtel and Jio are also partners of Starlink, we expect all three (Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES) to start at the same time, because that makes sense from a technical, commercial and a compliance standpoint," Rohan Dhamija, partner & head of India & Middle East at Analysys Mason told ET. Both Jio and Bharti Airtel, with the latter's parent company holding significant stake in Eutelsat OneWeb, maintain marketing arrangements with Starlink. Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio-SES were earlier granted trial spectrum by the DoT to test their services and demonstrate them to security agencies. Starlink is also expected to receive trial spectrum soon to validate its security compliance. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Signal lost with Airtel, Tata seeks new DTH connection
Kolkata | Mumbai: Tata Group is set to renew the hunt for new buyers for Tata Play direct-to-home (DTH) business after the abandonment of talks with Bharti Airtel to merge their DTH businesses due to sharp differences over valuation, people familiar with the matter told Tatas are looking to exit the DTH business as they find it as non-scalable and non-strategic to the Tata Group was pushing for a valuation of about ₹7,000 crore for Tata Play in the proposed merger with Bharti Telemedia - an Airtel unit that owns Airtel Digital TV, the people said. However, Airtel had pegged the valuation of Tatas' DTH business significantly lower, at less than ₹5,000 crore, which was a key deal breaker, they added. "The Tata Group reckoned it has a strong brand in Tata Play, which is India's largest DTH services player, and merited a higher valuation," said one of the persons cited above. Airtel is also believed to have walked away from the DTH merger deal as it has recently rolled out internet-based IPTV services-seen as an emerging opportunity for converting its 120 million-odd cable TV households, most of whom are still to subscribe to streaming services. Airtel as a 5G mobile operator is also investing heavily in 5G-based fixed wireless access (FWA) services, and in high-speed fibre broadband rollouts, which would allow it to offer live streaming services on digital platforms, the people said. Tata Sons and Bharti Airtel did not respond to queries. "Differences over valuations may have been the key reason why Airtel and the Tatas scrapped plans to merge their DTH businesses," said Rohan Dhamija, head (India & Middle East) at management consulting firm Analysys Mason. "But Airtel also possibly didn't see much value in merging Bharti Telemedia with Tata Play, given its focus on FWA and access to high-speed fibre broadband networks, which enables it to offer the gamut of video and live streaming services on digital platforms and reduces its dependence on linear pay TV platforms." He added that Airtel's recent launch of IPTV services across 2,000 cities would further reduce its dependence on pay TV platforms. IPTV, on Internet Protocol Television, is a method of delivering TV content over the internet-also seen as an alternative to mainline cable or satellite TV. "The compulsion to exit the DTH business was more in case of the Tatas, while Airtel was merely weighing the pros and cons of merging the DTH businesses, and it ultimately didn't make the cut as DTH is not a core business for Bharti, and as a leading telco with access to a countrywide fibre broadband network and now IPTV services, it is better positioned to dominate the OTT (over the top) aggregation space via its scale and ability to bundle data with content," a second person said. A Tata-Bharti DTH deal, though, would have marked the second major deal in the DTH space in about a decade, after the Dish TV-Videocon d2h merger in 2016. It would also have coincided with Reliance Industries and Walt Disney merging Star India and Viacom18 to form JioStar, India's largest media and entertainment company. Tata Play-originally Tata Sky-began as a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The Walt Disney Co. took over the stake when it acquired Murdoch's 21st Century Fox six years ago. Tata Sons, the holding company of the diversified Tata conglomerate, holds 70% in Tata Play, having reportedly acquired Singapore investment firm Temasek Holding's 10% stake in April 2024 for ₹835 crore, valuing the company at around $1 billion. Tata Play has over 23 million users. ET had reported this February that the Tata and Bharti groups were finalising a merger between their loss-making DTH businesses. The deal was expected to bolster Airtel's triple play strategy of bundling telecom, broadband and DTH services. Bharti had confirmed the talks with the Tatas but both parties mutually decided to terminate the discussions earlier this month.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Signal lost with Airtel, Tata seeks new DTH connection
Tata Group is resuming its search for buyers for Tata Play after merger talks with Bharti Airtel collapsed due to valuation disagreements, with Tata seeking ₹7,000 crore and Airtel valuing it below ₹5,000 crore. Airtel's focus on IPTV and 5G-based FWA services further diminished the appeal of merging DTH businesses. Tata aims to exit the DTH sector, deeming it non-strategic. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kolkata | Mumbai: Tata Group is set to renew the hunt for new buyers for Tata Play direct-to-home (DTH) business after the abandonment of talks with Bharti Airtel to merge their DTH businesses due to sharp differences over valuation, people familiar with the matter told Tatas are looking to exit the DTH business as they find it as non-scalable and non-strategic to the Tata Group was pushing for a valuation of about ₹7,000 crore for Tata Play in the proposed merger with Bharti Telemedia - an Airtel unit that owns Airtel Digital TV, the people said. However, Airtel had pegged the valuation of Tatas' DTH business significantly lower, at less than ₹5,000 crore, which was a key deal breaker, they added."The Tata Group reckoned it has a strong brand in Tata Play, which is India's largest DTH services player, and merited a higher valuation," said one of the persons cited is also believed to have walked away from the DTH merger deal as it has recently rolled out internet-based IPTV services-seen as an emerging opportunity for converting its 120 million-odd cable TV households, most of whom are still to subscribe to streaming as a 5G mobile operator is also investing heavily in 5G-based fixed wireless access (FWA) services, and in high-speed fibre broadband rollouts, which would allow it to offer live streaming services on digital platforms, the people Sons and Bharti Airtel did not respond to queries."Differences over valuations may have been the key reason why Airtel and the Tatas scrapped plans to merge their DTH businesses," said Rohan Dhamija, head (India & Middle East) at management consulting firm Analysys Mason."But Airtel also possibly didn't see much value in merging Bharti Telemedia with Tata Play, given its focus on FWA and access to high-speed fibre broadband networks, which enables it to offer the gamut of video and live streaming services on digital platforms and reduces its dependence on linear pay TV platforms."He added that Airtel's recent launch of IPTV services across 2,000 cities would further reduce its dependence on pay TV on Internet Protocol Television, is a method of delivering TV content over the internet-also seen as an alternative to mainline cable or satellite TV."The compulsion to exit the DTH business was more in case of the Tatas, while Airtel was merely weighing the pros and cons of merging the DTH businesses, and it ultimately didn't make the cut as DTH is not a core business for Bharti, and as a leading telco with access to a countrywide fibre broadband network and now IPTV services, it is better positioned to dominate the OTT (over the top) aggregation space via its scale and ability to bundle data with content," a second person said.A Tata-Bharti DTH deal, though, would have marked the second major deal in the DTH space in about a decade, after the Dish TV-Videocon d2h merger in 2016. It would also have coincided with Reliance Industries and Walt Disney merging Star India and Viacom18 to form JioStar, India's largest media and entertainment Play-originally Tata Sky-began as a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The Walt Disney Co. took over the stake when it acquired Murdoch's 21st Century Fox six years Sons, the holding company of the diversified Tata conglomerate, holds 70% in Tata Play, having reportedly acquired Singapore investment firm Temasek Holding's 10% stake in April 2024 for ₹835 crore, valuing the company at around $1 billion. Tata Play has over 23 million had reported this February that the Tata and Bharti groups were finalising a merger between their loss-making DTH businesses. The deal was expected to bolster Airtel's triple play strategy of bundling telecom, broadband and DTH services. Bharti had confirmed the talks with the Tatas but both parties mutually decided to terminate the discussions earlier this month.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
After Bharti Airtel's demand, experts call for checks in equity conversion of statutory dues
NEW DELHI: With the government saying that rules around equity conversion of statutory dues apply to all licensees and both spectrum as well as adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues will be considered, industry executives and experts have called for some checks and the move could open a virtual Pandora's box of requests from different players including internet service providers (ISPs), VSAT firms and profitable telcos, who can potentially seek to convert thousands of crores of all their statutory dues into equity. "And if agreed to, this could lead to the government holding stakes in several private companies, which won't be an ideal situation," said an industry expert asking not to be named. After the government decided to convert Vodafone Idea 's spectrum dues worth Rs 36,950 crore into equity, the government received a similar request from Bharti Airtel - to convert its entire over Rs 41,000 crore AGR dues into equity. Airtel's demand came as a surprise as so far, the telco was not inclined to give equity to the government, given its strong financial health in contrast to Vodafone Idea, which ran out of options and was forced to give up its stake to survive. But the demand from Airtel, experts say, can lead to others also seeking the same treatment. For example, Reliance Jio too can seek to convert its spectrum dues into equity as the company doesn't have legacy AGR dues and was not affected by the Supreme Court judgement of 2019, pointed out an industry expert, asking not to be named. Apart from the telecom firms, there are various ISPs and VSAT players that are saddled with thousands of crores of AGR dues. In case, the government does not provide relief or waiver for such firms, they too can seek equity conversion to clear the dues, the expert said. "The equity conversion for Vodafone Idea was done as the company was struggling the conversion had not happened, the firm might have gone bust. But the situation for Airtel is different and there should be some checks and balances for applying the equity conversion policy for its AGR dues," Rohan Dhamija, head, India and the Middle East, Analysys Mason. While seeking a conversion, Airtel has said that it was entitled to convert its over Rs 53,000 crore worth of spectrum dues into equity as dues beyond the moratorium period - which ends later this year - are also being converted into equity. The spectrum dues of Airtel relate to the 2022 5G auction as the company has already cleared its dues before 2021 auctions. DoT officials, however, refused to clarify if dues beyond 2021 telecom reforms can also be converted into equity. But industry executives said the policy of conversion applies to all dues, including those after 2021. "As per the policy, all companies can offer equity to the government in lieu of their spectrum and AGR dues," said an executive. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had previously told ET that rules around equity conversion apply to all, and that the department would decide on such requests. "In general, for telecom and other sectors, the government has to frame the policy on equity conversion by private players in lieu of statutory dues with proper safeguards as otherwise it could disrupt the business environment and government finances," Dhamija added.
Economic Times
27-04-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
After Bharti Airtel's demand experts call for checks in equity conversion of statutory dues
After the government decided to convert Vodafone Idea's spectrum dues worth Rs 36,950 crore into equity, the government received a similar request from Bharti Airtel - to convert its entire over ?41,000 crore AGR dues into equity. Airtel's demand came as a surprise as so far, the telco was not inclined to give equity to the government, given its strong financial health in contrast to Vodafone Idea, which ran out of options and was forced to give up its stake to survive. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads NEW DELHI: With the government saying that rules around equity conversion of statutory dues apply to all licensees and both spectrum as well as adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues will be considered, industry executives and experts have called for some checks and the move could open a virtual Pandora's box of requests from different players including internet service providers (ISPs), VSAT firms and profitable telcos, who can potentially seek to convert thousands of crores of all their statutory dues into equity. "And if agreed to, this could lead to the government holding stakes in several private companies, which won't be an ideal situation," said an industry expert asking not to be the government decided to convert Vodafone Idea 's spectrum dues worth Rs 36,950 crore into equity, the government received a similar request from Bharti Airtel - to convert its entire over Rs 41,000 crore AGR dues into equity. Airtel's demand came as a surprise as so far, the telco was not inclined to give equity to the government, given its strong financial health in contrast to Vodafone Idea, which ran out of options and was forced to give up its stake to the demand from Airtel, experts say, can lead to others also seeking the same treatment. For example, Reliance Jio too can seek to convert its spectrum dues into equity as the company doesn't have legacy AGR dues and was not affected by the Supreme Court judgement of 2019, pointed out an industry expert, asking not to be from the telecom firms, there are various ISPs and VSAT players that are saddled with thousands of crores of AGR dues. In case, the government does not provide relief or waiver for such firms, they too can seek equity conversion to clear the dues, the expert said. "The equity conversion for Vodafone Idea was done as the company was struggling the conversion had not happened, the firm might have gone bust. But the situation for Airtel is different and there should be some checks and balances for applying the equity conversion policy for its AGR dues," Rohan Dhamija, head, India and the Middle East, Analysys seeking a conversion, Airtel has said that it was entitled to convert its over ?53,000 crore worth of spectrum dues into equity as dues beyond the moratorium period - which ends later this year - are also being converted into equity. The spectrum dues of Airtel relate to the 2022 5G auction as the company has already cleared its dues before 2021 officials, however, refused to clarify if dues beyond 2021 telecom reforms can also be converted into equity. But industry executives said the policy of conversion applies to all dues, including those after 2021. "As per the policy, all companies can offer equity to the government in lieu of their spectrum and AGR dues," said an Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had previously told ET that rules around equity conversion apply to all, and that the department would decide on such requests. "In general, for telecom and other sectors, the government has to frame the policy on equity conversion by private players in lieu of statutory dues with proper safeguards as otherwise it could disrupt the business environment and government finances," Dhamija added.
