Latest news with #SunilMittal-led
India.com
26-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
Sunil Mittal's Airtel's BIG call to Mukesh Ambani's Jio, Vodafone Idea, BSNL to fight with…, may save Rs 110000000000 lost in…
Airtel has notified the government and telecom regulator TRAI about its proposal to collaborate with Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea on a joint initiative to combat the increasing telecom fraud and scams. The company has called for a united industry effort to face the rising number of malicious scams that target vulnerable individuals. In separate letters to the telecom operators, Airtel highlighted data that shows India registered over 1.7 million cybercrime complaints in the first nine months of 2024 which resulted in financial losses of around Rs 11,000 crore. The call for action comes at a time when cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics like phishing links, fake loan offers, and fraudulent payment pages, leading to a surge in digital fraud and identity theft incidents. Airtel has upped the ante on the war on digital spams and scams, and the last few weeks have seen the Sunil Mittal-led telco rolling out fraud detection solution to block rogue sites across communication OTT apps, and platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and others. 'However, given the recent alarming rise in phishing attempts and malicious URL-based scams targeting unsuspecting individuals, it became evident that more coordinated industry action was needed. These sophisticated fraud schemes often exploit the gaps in coordination between service providers,' Airtel wrote in letters to Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti. Updating the telecom department and Trai on its efforts, Airtel said that to combat 'this growing threat' of telecom frauds, spams and scams and in the spirit of unified industry action, it has once again reached out to TSPs with a proposal to launch a Joint Telecom Fraud Initiative on May 14, 2025. 'This initiative would bring together all TSPs to collaboratively detect, prevent, and mitigate telecom fraud and scams across our networks through real-time fraud intelligence sharing and cross-network coordination,' Airtel said in the letters. Airtel recalled that in October of 2024, it had written to all Telecom Service providers (TSPs) with a proposal to adopt a collaborative approach to address the growing issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). The proposal emphasised the mutual sharing of details of corporate connections used for commercial calling in a standardised format to enable proactive spam monitoring and mitigate any potential misuse. 'We also proposed the establishment of a centralised data-sharing platform akin to the existing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system to enhance our collective ability to combat UCC without disrupting legitimate enterprise services,' Airtel said. Meanwhile, Airtel Vice Chairman and MD Gopal Vittal will soon reach out to customers on the issue of financial frauds and scams that have 'become a regular threat for Indians'. Sources said the proposed mailer outreach by the top executive to customers will outline the various initiatives by Airtel, including an AI-powered solution launched last year to identify and mark suspicious spam calls and SMSes, and will also highlight new fraud detection solutions that will check for suspicious links across all Over the Top (OTT) apps and platforms, including social media apps, chat apps and messaging services and block it in real-time. Vittal will caution customers that over the last year, scam attempts have evolved into something much more organised and dangerous. 'Fraudsters today are targeting people not just through calls and texts but also through chats, emails, social media apps and other platforms,' he said. Fraudsters send messages that sound urgent or worrying, pretending to be from a bank, electricity provider, or even a delivery company, just to get users to click on a link. 'And these links look absolutely genuine, almost impossible to tell apart from the real ones. Once you click, they extract your personal and financial information and use it to scam you. We are seeing an alarming surge in such threats in the last few days,' he added. Talking about the new solution, Vittal assures customers that whenever they are on the Airtel mobile network or connected to Airtel Wi-Fi, this added layer of protection will be active by default. (With Inputs PTI)
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Airtel approaches Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea on joint telecom initiative against fraud
New Delhi: Airtel has informed the government and regulator Trai that it has approached Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea with a proposal for a joint initiative to unite the industry against rising telecom fraud and scams. Airtel has also urged all telcos to collaborate and collectively address the growing threat of deceptive and malicious scams targeting vulnerable individuals. In separate letters to the telcos, it cited data that India recorded over 1.7 million cybercrime complaints in the first nine months of 2024, resulting in financial losses exceeding ₹11,000 crore. The call for action comes at a time when cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics like phishing links, fake loan offers, and fraudulent payment pages, leading to a surge in digital fraud and identity theft incidents. Airtel has upped the ante on the war on digital spams and scams, and the last few weeks have seen the Sunil Mittal-led telco rolling out fraud detection solution to block rogue sites across communication OTT apps, and platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and others. "However, given the recent alarming rise in phishing attempts and malicious URL-based scams targeting unsuspecting individuals, it became evident that more coordinated industry action was needed. These sophisticated fraud schemes often exploit the gaps in coordination between service providers," Airtel wrote in letters to Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti. Updating the telecom department and Trai on its efforts, Airtel said that to combat "this growing threat" of telecom frauds, spams and scams and in the spirit of unified industry action, it has once again reached out to TSPs with a proposal to launch a Joint Telecom Fraud Initiative on May 14, 2025. "This initiative would bring together all TSPs to collaboratively detect, prevent, and mitigate telecom fraud and scams across our networks through real-time fraud intelligence sharing and cross-network coordination," Airtel said in the letters. Airtel recalled that in October of 2024, it had written to all Telecom Service providers (TSPs) with a proposal to adopt a collaborative approach to address the growing issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). The proposal emphasised the mutual sharing of details of corporate connections used for commercial calling in a standardised format to enable proactive spam monitoring and mitigate any potential misuse. "We also proposed the establishment of a centralised data-sharing platform akin to the existing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system to enhance our collective ability to combat UCC without disrupting legitimate enterprise services," Airtel said. Meanwhile, Airtel Vice Chairman and MD Gopal Vittal will soon reach out to customers on the issue of financial frauds and scams that have "become a regular threat for Indians". Sources said the proposed mailer outreach by the top executive to customers will outline the various initiatives by Airtel, including an AI-powered solution launched last year to identify and mark suspicious spam calls and SMSes, and will also highlight new fraud detection solutions that will check for suspicious links across all Over the Top (OTT) apps and platforms, including social media apps, chat apps and messaging services and block it in real-time. Vittal will caution customers that over the last year, scam attempts have evolved into something much more organised and dangerous. "Fraudsters today are targeting people not just through calls and texts but also through chats, emails, social media apps and other platforms," he said. Fraudsters send messages that sound urgent or worrying, pretending to be from a bank, electricity provider, or even a delivery company, just to get users to click on a link. "And these links look absolutely genuine, almost impossible to tell apart from the real ones. Once you click, they extract your personal and financial information and use it to scam you. We are seeing an alarming surge in such threats in the last few days," he added. Talking about the new solution, Vittal assures customers that whenever they are on the Airtel mobile network or connected to Airtel Wi-Fi, this added layer of protection will be active by default.
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Business Standard
25-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Airtel approaches Jio, VIL on joint telecom initiative against fraud
Airtel has informed the government and regulator Trai that it has approached Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea with a proposal for a joint initiative to unite the industry against rising telecom fraud and scams. Airtel has also urged all telcos to collaborate and collectively address the growing threat of deceptive and malicious scams targeting vulnerable individuals. In separate letters to the telcos, it cited data that India recorded over 1.7 million cybercrime complaints in the first nine months of 2024, resulting in financial losses exceeding Rs 11,000 crore. The call for action comes at a time when cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated tactics like phishing links, fake loan offers, and fraudulent payment pages, leading to a surge in digital fraud and identity theft incidents. Airtel has upped the ante on the war on digital spams and scams, and the last few weeks have seen the Sunil Mittal-led telco rolling out fraud detection solution to block rogue sites across communication OTT apps, and platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and others. "However, given the recent alarming rise in phishing attempts and malicious URL-based scams targeting unsuspecting individuals, it became evident that more coordinated industry action was needed. These sophisticated fraud schemes often exploit the gaps in coordination between service providers," Airtel wrote in letters to Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal and Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti. Updating the telecom department and Trai on its efforts, Airtel said that to combat "this growing threat" of telecom frauds, spams and scams and in the spirit of unified industry action, it has once again reached out to TSPs with a proposal to launch a Joint Telecom Fraud Initiative on May 14, 2025. "This initiative would bring together all TSPs to collaboratively detect, prevent, and mitigate telecom fraud and scams across our networks through real-time fraud intelligence sharing and cross-network coordination," Airtel said in the letters. Airtel recalled that in October of 2024, it had written to all Telecom Service providers (TSPs) with a proposal to adopt a collaborative approach to address the growing issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). The proposal emphasised the mutual sharing of details of corporate connections used for commercial calling in a standardised format to enable proactive spam monitoring and mitigate any potential misuse. "We also proposed the establishment of a centralised data-sharing platform akin to the existing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) system to enhance our collective ability to combat UCC without disrupting legitimate enterprise services," Airtel said.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indus contributions, stronger Africa biz to boost Airtel cash flows in FY26: S&P Global
Kolkata: Bharti Airtel is likely to report higher cash flows in FY26, on the back of earnings contribution from its towers unit, Indus, and strong operating performance of its Africa business, international ratings agency, S&P Global said Wednesday. As per company data, Bharti Airtel 's cash & cash equivalents in FY25 stood at ₹10,653.1 crore. The global ratings agency expects Airtel's rising earnings to strengthen its ratio of funds from operations (FFO) to debt to over 30% in the next 12-24 months. It, though, added that the telco would need to maintain the ratio at well above 30% to ensure a higher standalone credit profile (SACP). 'The consolidation of telecom tower subsidiary, Indus Towers , and the full-year impact of the last round of mobile rate hikes will underpin Airtel's rising earnings in FY26, and further support will come from stabilising forex rates and the underlying strength in the operating performance of the company's Africa operations,' S&P Global said in an official statement. Airtel shares were up 0.58% to ₹1819 in Wednesday mid-morning trade on the BSE. Airtel Africa had recently reported an $80 million net profit in the March quarter — compared with a $91 million net loss a year back — while its quarterly revenue had risen 18 % on-year to $1.31 billion on the back of tariff adjustments in the key Nigeria market and easing of currency headwinds. S&P Global estimates Airtel's adjusted Ebitda in FY26 will rise 14-16% to ₹110 crore (INR 1.1 bn). Earlier this month, Airtel posted a five-fold jump in its fourth-quarter net profit, boosted by a tax benefit and strong subscriber additions in its India mobile broadband business. Analysts expect the country's second-largest telco to deliver stronger results with strong operating margins in coming quarters, benefitting from earlier investments in strengthening its 4G network and 5G rollout, and a likely moderation in mobile capex spends. S&P Global, though, said it would increasingly consider the rising debt of Bharti Telecom Ltd (BTL) - the main promoter-level controlling company of Airtel - in its analysis of the Sunil Mittal-led telco's creditworthiness, going forward. 'Higher debt at Bharti Telecom carries the risk of the company depending on dividends from Airtel to service its debt. This is since Airtel is BTL's largest asset,' S&P Global said. The global ratings agency estimates BTL's net debt at ₹40,000 crore as of March 31, 2025, which is about 16% of Airtel's adjusted debt on the same date. 'This is up from (BTL's) ₹25,000 crore at the end of FY24.' In recent years, Singtel and the Mittal family — the co-promoters of Bharti Airtel — have been shifting their direct holdings in Airtel to BTL, which has been funding such deals via debt. Consequently, BTL's debt levels have increased because of its rising stake in Airtel. BTL's stake in Airtel is now at 40.47%.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Singtel Sells 1.2% Stake in Bharti Airtel via Private Placement for ₹13,180 crore
Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) raised about S$2 billion (₹13,180 crore) by selling a 1.2% direct stake in regional associate Bharti Airtel , through a private placement to global and Indian institutional investors , including existing shareholders of India's second-largest telco. Singtel did not name the buyers. According to the company, the stake sale, which will yield an estimated gain of S$1.4 billion (about ₹9,224 crore), is part of its active capital management approach to optimise asset portfolio and enhance shareholder returns sustainably. Pastel Ltd, a Singtel affiliate, sold 71 million shares in Airtel at ₹1,814 apiece, raising aggregate gross proceeds of about S$2 billion. The deal price reflects around a 2.8% discount to Airtel's closing price on Thursday. Share of Bharti Airtel closed 2.8% lower at ₹1,814.35 apiece on the BSE on Friday. Singtel highlighted that the share sale sparked strong interest and got oversubscribed, driving both an increase in the transaction size, and tighter final pricing than the initial guidance. 'A large majority of the transaction was sold to domestic mutual funds and international long-only funds…The pricing for the sale was determined at an arm's length and willing-buyer willing-seller basis, taking into account the last closing price of Airtel shares before sale on BSE and NSE,' Singtel said in a statement. After the stake sale, Singtel's effective holding in Airtel will fall to 28.3% from 29.5% previously. This will comprise an 8.3% direct stake via Pastel and a 20% indirect stake through Bharti Telecom Ltd (BTL) — the main promoter-level controlling company of Airtel. Singtel and the Mittal family-backed Bharti Group hold 49.44% and 50.56% stakes, respectively in BTL. However, there is no change in the Mittal family's effective holding in Airtel as it hasn't bought any additional shares from Singtel. BTL will also continue to hold 40.47% of Airtel, people aware of the matter told ET. The Mittal family's overall stake in Airtel will remain at 22.93%—comprising a 2.47% direct stake via Indian Continent Investment Ltd (a Sunil Mittal-led promoter group entity) and a 20.46% indirect stake through BTL. 'This transaction allows us to crystallise value at an attractive valuation while remaining a significant shareholder of Airtel. We are pleased to welcome new like-minded investors who share our conviction in Airtel's strong growth potential as India pursues its vision of achieving a $1 trillion digital economy,' said Arthur Lang, Singtel Group chief financial officer. 'This will further strengthen Airtel's shareholder base so that we can collectively support its long-term growth.' An email sent to Airtel didn't elicit a response till press time. Last November, a top Singtel executive had said the promoters of Airtel — Singtel and the Mittal family — were preparing a plan for each to hold equal direct stakes in the telco. Singtel has been a long-term strategic investor, and a shareholder in Airtel since 2000. In September 2022, it had sold a 3.33% direct stake in Airtel via multiple block deals to BTL for about ₹14,500 crore. Last year, it sold another 0.8% in Airtel, through Pastel, to US investment firm GQG Partners for about 5,885 crore. These deals have helped to support Singtel's 5G deployment, digital infrastructure expansion, and sustainable shareholder distributions.
