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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Guidelines against illegal sale of radio equipment to help improve mobile QoS: COAI
NEW DELHI: The recently notified guidelines against the prevention and regulation of illegal sales of radio equipment, including walkie-talkies, on e-commerce platforms will help improve mobile quality of services (QoS) and uphold consumer rights, telecom carriers said on Monday. With the guidelines being notified on May 27, 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) said it aims to enforce penalties and platform liability in case of non-compliance, mandate verification of seller credentials and certification, introduce automated monitoring and takedown mechanisms for unauthorised listing, and drive consumer awareness through disclosures. 'We sincerely thank the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for recognising the gravity of the issue and responding with these decisive measures. We believe that this proactive step will go a long way in ensuring quality of service and upholding consumer rights,' said SP Kochhar, director-general of the Cellular Operators Association of India ( COAI ). The Delhi-based association represents telecom incumbents including Reliance Jio , Bharti Airtel , and Vodafone Idea (Vi). According to COAI, the guidelines also provide a much-needed regulatory response to the persistent challenge of illegal sale and misuse of unauthorised wireless devices, including mobile signal boosters and jammers. Telcos have particularly hailed Clause 4(i)(b) of the guidelines, which explicitly prohibits online platforms from allowing the listing or sale of mobile signal boosters and wireless jammers, recognising the widespread network disruptions and consumer grievances these unauthorised devices have caused. Notably, COAI has repeatedly raised concerns regarding the rampant and illegal sale of such devices on e-commerce platforms and their unauthorised installation in residential and commercial establishments, which have been found to cause significant degradation in network quality and consumer experience across licensed telecom networks.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
After a temporary truce, Airtel and Reliance Jio take on Musk's Starlink once again
NEW DELHI: The temporary truce that domestic telecom majors Airtel and Reliance Jio struck with Elon Musk's satcom venture Starlink has been disturbed. The local telecom operators have raised questions over Trai's recommendations regarding spectrum allocation to satcom companies and alleged that they are 'non-transparent and non-justifiable', and favour satellite companies over the homegrown terrestrial operators. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the body representing the local companies, claimed that much against Trai's assumption that satcom will be a fringe player with a business case only in network-unserved areas and rural regions, the 'reality' is that it will compete with the terrestrial networks. 'These recommendations thus create a substantial regulatory arbitrage as they fail to appreciate that in reality, satellite communication services are fast emerging as full-fledged competitors in the broadband market and the leading NGSO (non-geostationary satellite orbits) constellations are actively targeting retail and enterprise users in all geographies, including urban and well-connected regions,' COAI DG Lt. Gen. (Retd) SP Kochhar said. COAI claimed that Trai did not take into account inputs provided by the local players before coming out with its recommendations that are now being considered by the telecom ministry. 'These recommendations are non-transparent based on non-justifiable assumption rather than factual data. The limited consideration of stakeholder inputs coupled with the absence of comprehensive consultation on key issues -- such as ensuring a level-playing field, evaluating network capacity, determining assignment methods, and establishing fair spectrum valuation—along with reliance on flawed assumptions, has culminated in recommendations that are not only inequitable but may also contravene the principles embodied in the Telecommunications Act, 2023. ' The local companies – who buy airwaves through auctions -- had previously raised objections to the government's decision to give spectrum to satcom companies administratively, but had later decided to partner Starlink (both Airtel and Jio), weeks after Musk had a meeting with PM Narendra Modi during the latter's visit to the US in February. Starlink recently received a letter of intent (LoI) from the telecom ministry to begin services, and now awaits a formal license. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In its representation, COAI also raised objections to the 'differential spectrum pricing' suggested for terrestrial services versus satcom operators. '… the price per MHz should be equivalent or at least comparable for both, especially when used to reach the same consumers for identical services. Equity and non-discrimination principles require that if spectrum for satellite-based services are to be assigned administratively rather than through auction, its pricing must reasonably reflect parity with auction-discovered rates applicable to terrestrial spectrum in comparable frequency bands. '
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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Revenue-share model 2.0: Levy USO-like fee on OTTs, telcos tell DoT
The revenue-sharing tussle between telecom operators and over-the-top (OTT) apps has taken a fresh turn. Now, telcos want the government to play a role in getting data-guzzling OTTs — which they refer to as large traffic generators (LTGs) — to pay a charge for using the telecom networks to offer their services to consumers. Telecom service providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, have collectively proposed to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that a levy be imposed on such OTTs' income generated from India. That levy could get pooled into the Consolidated Fund of India or the Digital Bharat Nidhi (erstwhile Universal Services Obligation Fund meant for connectivity in rural and remote areas), the telcos have suggested. According to executives familiar with the details, the idea is to help telcos use the fund, coming from the levy on such OTTs, to provide data and voice connectivity in the underserved areas of the country. Queries to DoT, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea did not elicit a response till the time of going to press. Earlier, telcos' demands centered around a revenue-share agreement directly between the carriers and large traffic generators (LTGs) like Netflix, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and other apps on the ground that the entities were not contributing towards supporting the data network infrastructure that telcos build. LTGs take up a significant portion of the network bandwidth, the carriers claimed previously, while asking them to give a share of their revenues towards the infrastructure spend. Telcos have, for instance, spent more than $3 trillion in setting up 5G networks in the country. 'It is imperative that the LTGs, who transmit a huge volume of data over the networks established by telecom service providers, contribute to upgrading the network infrastructure,' SP Kochhar, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said in response to queries from Business Standard. SP Kochhar, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said: 'As a solution, we have suggested that LTGs participate in the development of India by contributing a part of their income to the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), for progressive development of digital infrastructure in India.' 'This would fund the much-necessary network growth and evolution, while helping bridge the urban-rural digital divide and eventually lead to a reduction in contributions to DBN by the telcos,' he added. COAI represents leading carriers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. With not too many global examples, carriers have been watching the outcome of a revenue-sharing pact between South Korea Telecom and Netflix, said industry insiders. The agreement was inked in 2023 following a legal battle. To be sure, the Indian market has telcos like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel that have their own OTT apps — JioHotstar and Airtel Xstream, respectively. Officials indicated that DoT was looking at the proposal to levy fees on OTTs. While such a move might not provide direct financial relief to the companies, it might help carriers fund a portion of their network infrastructure spends which would have otherwise come from their balance sheets, according to analysts. Telcos pay 5 per cent of the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) or applicable gross revenue to the government towards the DBN, besides spectrum usage charge, corporation tax on incomes and goods and services tax (GST). Carriers have also asked for the 5 per cent DBN levy to be kept in abeyance, which would further reduce their financial burden. As of December 2024, more than ₹86,356 crore of the total collections of ₹1.7 trillion remained unallocated in the DBN, data from the DoT showed. The LTGs like Netflix, WhatsApp, Amazon Prime, Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom, pay corporation tax as well as GST to the Indian government. 'There is likely to be an opposition to any such proposal, which has been the case traditionally as well,' said a senior executive from an industry body representing OTT apps who did not wish to be named. An industry source argued that even as OTT apps rode on the telecom infrastructure, generating vast volumes of traffic, they contributed nothing to the network infrastructure they depended on. 'This creates an imbalance which directly threatens the quality and sustainability of mobile broadband in India,' the source said. The telcos' proposal assumes significance after the Supreme Court rejected a review petition of Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices seeking a waiver of AGR dues, interest, penalties and interest on penalties, totalling over ₹1 trillion. A large part of the dues belongs to Vodafone Idea. The court had observed that the government was free to give any kind of relief to the companies. Under the current relief mechanisms, the government can pick up equity in lieu of the telcos' dues or interest on dues, on a case-by-case basis. While Bharti Airtel has sought this relief, debt-laden Vodafone Idea has already availed of this offer, making the government the single largest shareholder in the carrier with a 49 per cent stake. The government has told the court that it does not intend to increase its shareholding in Vodafone Idea.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
No mobile signal on underground Mumbai Metro; telecom firms cry foul at ‘monopoly' of operator
As complaints pour in from commuters regarding the non-availability of mobile network connectivity within the underground Mumbai Metro Line 3, also called Aqua Line, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has put the blame on what it describes as the 'monopolistic setup' developed by the Metro authorities. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the COAI made it clear that mobile network operators are quite keen on providing seamless connectivity along the underground section through an in-building solution (IBS) shared by all. However, they accuse Mumbai Metro of refusing them direct access and instead involving a third-party vendor at 'exorbitant' prices for deploying networks. Metro passengers on the recently opened BKC-Worli segment of Metro Line 3 have raised concerns about not being able to use their phones, surf, or access apps while on their underground ride, the most basic of needs for a technologically advanced city like Mumbai. 'Telecom service providers had offered to install the infrastructure free of cost and provide connectivity to commuters, while commercial terms could be worked out subsequently. This consumer-first proposal was ignored,' said Lt Gen Dr S P Kochhar, Director General of COAI. The association also stated that the current setup goes against the Right of Way (RoW) provisions under the new Telecommunication Act, which requires that public utilities cannot refuse access to service providers. COAI added that similar infrastructure deployments in public properties like the Central Vista and PWD tunnel in Delhi have been given permission for free, only for the sake of commuter convenience. According to Kochhar, the telecom service providers had even agreed to create a shared infrastructure to prevent duplication and accelerate rollout, but their bid was rejected. Instead, the Metro operator allegedly demanded provisioning connectivity via a single vendor at high fees for access — a model COAI described as 'extortionate and monopolistic.' Even as the services were being tested on a trial basis by the telecom operators awaiting final agreement, commuters are still experiencing poor or no connectivity inside underground stations and tunnels. Experts have cautioned that similar delays in offering mobile coverage would affect ridership as well as safety in the event of an emergency, in which case passengers might not be able to communicate. Responding to the allegations, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) stated that, because of the underground location of the Metro and space constraints, a common infrastructure model was essential and in sync with international and national practices. MMRC explained that the chosen vendor was appointed under an open tendering process and that all the key telecom players had tendered their agreement to participate through this shared infrastructure. 'The shortlisted contractor had invested a lot of money, and two telecom operators had even begun operations on Phase 1, which were later shut down abruptly. One has resumed later. It is neither advisable nor feasible to let each operator create its own infrastructure in tight tunnels,' a Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) spokesperson said, refuting allegations that it was not providing access. 'This is the same system applied to Indian metros and airports as well. Hence, it is absolutely denied that MMRC is not providing them access,' the spokesperson said. As Mumbai's underground Metro expands further, from BKC to Worli now, and is expected to extend till Cuffe Parade by August, commuters hope the dispute will be resolved soon to bring seamless digital access throughout the line.
The Print
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
Mumbai metro trying to extract monopolistic, extortionate rents for mobile network: COAI
'Telecom Service Providers are always willing to provide connectivity through IBS (in-building solutions). However, in the instant case, Mumbai Metro has created a monopoly on providing connectivity exclusively through a third party vendor, and is now trying to extract monopolistic and extortionate rents for providing the mobile network,' COAI said. COAI, in a statement, said that in order to minimise disruptions, telecom service providers had offered a common network for facilitating mobile connectivity which has been ignored by the Mumbai Metro. New Delhi, May 18 (PTI) COAI on Sunday accused Mumbai Metro of trying to extract monopolistic and extortionate rents on provision of mobile network, as the industry body argued that under stipulated rules, a public authority cannot deny providing Right of Way to telecom operators in a public place. As per the new Telecommunication Act and Right of Way (RoW) rules, a public authority cannot deny providing Right of Way to TSPs in a public place 'which is exactly what is being done by the Mumbai Metro', COAI Director General S P Kochhar said. 'One must note that deploying of such network(s) are a norm, even in important places like the PWD tunnel in Pragati Maidan or the Central Vista, wherein the TSPs are laying infrastructure without paying any cost to anyone (including any third party),' according to COAI. COAI claimed that Mumbai Metro was quoting precedence for appointing a third party vendor and denying RoW to telcos. 'It may be noted that wrong precedence does not make a legitimate one and the industry is separately addressing the issue of such monopolies being created, with a view to stop such extortionate practices,' said the association – whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Telecom service providers are always willing to incur capex for setting up network inside the Metro, despite no any additional incremental revenue. 'However, paying extortionate rates to Mumbai Metro for such a network is not viable,' COAI said. Further, COAI pointed out that services were being offered on a trial basis by all TSPs, pending finalisation of a formal agreement. '…to support uninterrupted connectivity for Mumbai Metro commuters, TSPs had proposed providing mobile connectivity Free of Cost without any payment to either the third party vendor or Mumbai Metro, until commercial terms could be mutually agreed upon. This was communicated through a joint letter by TSPs dated 7th April 2025,' COAI said, adding, 'reasonable and consumer first proposal was ignored by the Mumbai Metro'. PTI MBI HVA This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
