In an order to promote telephone and broadband services in villages, the Telecom Commission, the policy-making body under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has decided to waive the licence fee on rural landline phones besides reducing levy towards the “universal service obligation” (USO) fund.

The decision is also anticipated to give a boost to e-governance through provision of more broadband services in villages, thus reducing the digital divide.

The Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) stated yesterday that the allegations made by CDMA service providers that the GSM operators were provided 2G spectrum against norms were false and baseless.

In a letter issued to the media, COAI said that the entire campaign formed by the CDMA operator’s body which is Association of United Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) was dishonest and misleading.

COAI further claimed that AUSPI had done all that as a desperate attempt to pull down a performing industry. AUSPI had also been accused for forming a “serious misinformation campaign.”

A new direction was given to the war between ESPN and DTH operators over the pricing of sports channel on Tuesday when sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a show-ca

Oslo - Norwegian telecommunications group Telenor Wednesday posted an increase in pre-tax profit and sales for the second quarter of 2008.

Pre-tax profit was 5.2 billion kroner (1 billion dollars), compared to 3.8 billion kroner for the corresponding business period of
2007.

Second-quarter sales were 23.8 billion kroner, up from 23.1

billion kroner from a year ago, the group said.

The sums included earnings from its company Kyivstar in Ukraine, where Telenor has been engaged in protracted measures to get audited financial information about the operator.

BSNL is poised to launch a telecom expansion overdrive in rural India. The government owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has unveiled a majestic plan to expand in rural India, a big emerging market after the saturation in urban telecom market in the country.

India has seen the fastest growth in telephone density in recent time. This has propelled BSNL, the largest telecom service provider in the country, to take some actions in order to preserve its top position.

State-owned PSU, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is strengthening its share in rural India.

This time, BSNL has come up with a new scheme for rustic regions of Uttar Pradesh.

Under this novel plan a landline connection will be available at monthly installments of just Rs 20. This scheme is exclusively for those living in rustic areas of Uttar Pradesh.
 
Mr. Rajech Kumar, BSNL general manager for marketing in the state, said, “The upcoming scheme will be exclusively launched in the villages in August.”