Govt to auction 5G spectrum for 20 yrs; allows private captive networks

 The government will auction a total of 72097.85 MHz of spectrum with a validity of 20 years by July-end, said an official statement

The Union Cabinet has cleared the auction for 5G airwaves paving the way for auction and commercial launch of next generation telecom services this year. The cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday approved Department of Telecom’s proposal for the auction of 72 GHz of spectrum for a 20-year-period. It also decided to “enable the development and setting up of private captive networks to spur a new wave of innovations in industry 4.0 applications”.

“A total of 72097.85 MHz of spectrum with a validity period of 20 years will be put to auction to be held by the end of July, 2022. The auction will be held for spectrum in various bands (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz), Mid (3300 MHz) and High (26 GHz) frequency bands,” the government said in a press release on Wednesday….Read More

Airtel prepays Rs 8,815 cr of spectrum dues to reduce interest expenses

 This is the second such prepayment by Airtel in the last three months and comes on the back of strong cash flow generation, equity infusion and borrowing at significantly lower interest rates

Bharti Airtel has prepaid Rs 8,815 crore of spectrum dues to cut down on interest expenses. The dues pertained to spectrum acquired in 2015 and payments for same were due in FY2027 and FY2028, the telecom company announced on Friday. This is the second such prepayment by the company in the last three months and comes on the back of strong cash flow generation, equity infusion and borrowing at significantly lower interest rates.

“Over the last four months, Airtel has cleared Rs 24,334 crores of its deferred spectrum liabilities much ahead of scheduled maturities. These liabilities carried an interest rate of 10 per cent,” it said. After the latest payment, Airtel has balance spectrum dues of around Rs 67,000 crore and adjusted gross revenue dues of Rs 25,000 crore.

“Airtel continues to focus on financial flexibility via its capital structure including optimising cost of financing and capitalising on all opportunities of significant interest saves like this prepayment,” the company said in a statement. In December it had prepaid its entire liability of Rs 15,519 crore from its 2014 acquisition of 128.4 MHz spectrum. At that time Airtel had said the prepayment would help it in saving Rs 3400 crore annually in interest expenses.

Reliance Jio's 2G-free India drive likely to hit Vodafone Idea hard

About 60% of Vodafone Idea's customer base is in the 2G space

Mukesh Ambani’s plan to make India ‘2G-mukt’ will hit the incumbent operators hard, especially Vodafone Idea given its large base of 2G subscribers. After racking up 100 million users for its 4G-enabled feature phones (JioPhone), Reliance Jio in partnership with Google is eyeing the entry-level smartphone segment. Jio is planning to win over 350 million 2G feature phone users by launching a smartphone ‘at a fraction of the current cost’.

Experts believe that Jio, which dominates the mobile broadband space (4G) with 58 per cent market share, could capture the incumbents’ market share in the feature phone segment with its new offering. While Bharti Airtel has 135 million 2G users, 47 per cent of its total subscriber base of 283 million, Vodafone Idea has 174 million 2G users, about 60 per cent of its total subscriber base of 291 million at the end of the March quarter.

Mayuresh Joshi, head of equity research at William O’Neil India, says: “Vodafone Idea has the highest 2G subscriber base among the top three operators. This coupled with a weak financial situation and inability to commit large capex investment will make it the most susceptible to subscriber loss. The ongoing churn for Vodafone could accelerate if Jio is able to launch a smartphone at a substantially lower cost in partnership with Google.”

Airtel, Voda Idea and Jio to hike mobile, data tariffs by up to 40%

Tariff hike for Airtel and Vodafone will be effective from Dec 3, while for Jio the new rates will be applicable from Dec 6

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea on Sunday announced a tariff hike in the range of 15 per cent and 40 per cent across different plans. The tariff hike by both companies will be applicable from December 3, 2019. Vodafone Idea on Sunday said its new plans for its prepaid products and services would be available across India, starting 00:00 hours of December 3, 2019.

Airtel’s new plans represent tariff increases in the range of a mere 50 paise per day to Rs 2.85 per day and offer generous data and calling benefits. “Our new mobile plans offer tremendous value to our customers and are backed by a superior network experience on Airtel’s nationwide 4G Shashwat Sharma, chief marketing officer, Bharti Airtel, said in the statement.

Reliance Jio also said it would be introducing new plans with unlimited voice and data. These plans will have a fair usage policy for calls to other mobile networks. The new plans will be effective from December 6, 2019. “Although the new all-in-one plans will be priced up to 40 per cent higher, staying true to its promise of being customer-first, Reliance Jio customers will get up to 300 per cent more benefits,” Reliance Jio said in a release.

Vodafone Idea reported a massive pre-tax loss of Rs 36,959 crore in Q2 after it provided for payments related to AGR. The company took a hit of Rs 30,774 crore (including AGR) for the quarter. This led to a loss of Rs 50,922 crore at the net level — the highest-ever for an Indian company. The company had posted a loss of Rs 4,974 crore in the year-ago quarter, while the loss in the April-June quarter was Rs 4,874 crore….

After $13-bn AGR hit, future of India’s tattered telecom hinges on govt aid

Vodafone Idea this month booked a $7 billion quarterly loss, the biggest in Indian corporate history, in large part due to provisions for payments owed

Companies News: The Indian government’s win of a long-contested dispute over telecom fees could end up a Pyrrhic victory, as the billions of dollars in levies now owed are seen as burdens too big to bear for two of the country’s three main carriers. Vodafone Idea Ltd, India’s biggest carrier by user numbers, is widely regarded as most on the ropes, with parent Vodafone Group calling the situation “critical” after the unit was saddled with about $3.9 billion in fresh payments due.

That is the biggest portion of the $13 billion incurred by the sector after India’s Supreme Court last month sided with the government in how spectrum usage and licence fees are calculated. Bharti Airtel, the No 3 provider which must pay roughly $3 billion under the ruling, has also flagged distress, saying the decision casts much doubt on “its ability to continue as a going concern.”

To industry executives and analysts alike, there’s only one solution for the sector which was even before the current crisis debt-ridden and battered by a brutal price war: significant government financial support. Hopes have been raised after the government deferred upcoming spectrum payments for the next two financial years until March 2022. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said this month that relief is under consideration although no final call had been made….

Reliance likely to make bid for RCom and its related companies today

Bharti Airtel also likely to reconsider its decision and bid

Having asked for a 10-day extension from a Resolution Professional, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance group is expected to make a bid for his brother Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications (RCom) and its related companies on Monday.

The companies are up for grabs as going concerns from the Anil Ambani stable under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) process. They include RCom, Reliance Telecom (which has the spectrum), and Reliance Telecom Infrastructure which houses the tower and fibre assets. Rcom also has subsidiaries which control its real estate and data centre businesses. The bids close on Monday and it is expected that the committee of creditors will open them on the same day for discussions.

The structure of how the bid will be made is not clear as, under the regulatory rules, a bid by Reliance Jio (which is not a listed entity) acquiring RCom (a listed entity) would require the former to merge the latter. Yet that is clearly not acceptable to the group which is looking at coming out with a separate IPO for Jio. An e-mail to Jio elicited no response. It is also expected that Bharti Airtel, which had complained to the Resolution Professional that the extension given to Mukesh Ambani was unfair and had withdrawn its offer, might reconsider and also bid.

The others expected to put in bids include US-based PE fund Varde Partners, I Squared Capital (for Reliance Communication’s data centres and optic fibre assets), and Delhi-based UV Asset Reconstruction Company. The latter had earlier won its sole bid for the Aircel group (which was also under the IBC) for Rs 150 crore. Bharti had already earlier announced that it would be making a conditional bid through Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel. A Bharti spokesperson had at that time confirmed that it had made a conditional bid primarily for the spectrum — a precious asset…

Telecom tariff: Jio to follow Airtel, Voda Idea, raise rates in a few weeks

In anticipation of the tariff hike, Reliance Industries’ market cap crossed the Rs 9.5-trillion mark on Tuesday

Reliance Jio, which disrupted the telecom market ever since its commercial launch in 2016, has decided to follow rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea in raising mobile phone tariffs. Having kicked off a no holds barred tariff war three years ago, the Mukesh Ambani-owned firm is now stepping back.

According to sources in the know, the tariff hike decision by the telcos is in response to the government wanting the industry to stop the long-drawn price war and set their house in order. In the absence of a tariff hike, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) may have been forced to impose a floor price for the operators. Also, the government has been of the view that any relief measure for the telecom industry should be given only after telcos get out of the price war, that has left the incumbent operators with record losses and high debt, the sources said.

On Tuesday evening, reliance Jio announced it would take measures including “appropriate increase in tariffs’’ in the next few weeks. The move, industry watchers believe, may bring down the pitch of the bitter battle between the incumbents and a new player. Jio’s announcement comes a day after Airtel and Vodafone Idea said they were hiking tariffs from December 1.

In its statement, Jio has asked the government to mandate a ‘2G mukt’ India in the shortest time if the objectives of Digital India mission has have to be achieved. The Jio demand for a 2G-free country is significant as it’s the only operator offering just 4G services pan-India. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea still have a bulk of their customers using 2G….

Bharti Airtel bids for RCom spectrum, Jio seeks deadline extension

It is believed that apart from Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel, there are four players that have made a bid

‘The Bharti group, through two of its companies, on Tuesday made a conditional bid for the spectrum of Reliance Communications (RCom) even as Reliance Jio asked for an extension of the November 12 deadline to make an offer under insolvency proceedings.

The interim resolution professional (RP) had invited prospective companies to make a bid for the company as a going concern with assets and businesses like telecom towers, spectrum, a fibre network, real estate, and an enterprise business, in order to recover debts of more than Rs 33,000 crore of secured creditors.

It is believed that apart from Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel, there are four players that have made a bid. They include US-based Varde Partners, a private equity fund that has a joint venture in India with the Aditya Birla group. But the joint venture has not made the bid, sources say. An e-mail query to Varde Partners did not elicit any response.

A Bharti spokesperson, in response to an e-mail query, said: “A conditional bid has been made primarily for the spectrum, which is a precious asset. Bid conditions include that the overall consideration will primarily be by way of the deferred spectrum payable to the government being passed on to us on terms and schedules applicable to such deferred payments”.

Reliance Jio, according to sources, has asked for an extension of the deadline by 10 days. However, it is not clear as to whether the RP, Anish Nanavaty, has granted it, and queries to him did not elicit any response.

Former Twitter employees charged with spying on users for Saudi Arabia

The lawsuit comes as US-Saudi relations continue to suffer strains over the brutal, Riyadh-sanctioned murder one year ago of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department has announced.

The two Saudi citizens and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said on Wednesday.

1 According to a court filing, they were guided by an unnamed Saudi arabia official who worked for someone prosecutors designated “Royal Family Member-1,” which The Washington Post reported was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Those charged were Twitter employees Ali Alzabarah and Ahmad Abouammo, along with Ahmed Almutairi, a marketing official with ties to the royal family.

“The criminal complaint unsealed today alleges that Saudi agents mined Twitter’s internal systems for personal information about known Saudi critics and thousands of other Twitter users,” said US Attorney David Anderson. “US law protects US companies from such an unlawful foreign intrusion. We will not allow US companies or US technology to become tools of foreign repression in violation of US law,” he said in a statement.

No relief in sight for telcos: Govt may not waive $13-billion AGR dues

The government’s stand about the health of the industry mirrors comments made by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., which has said it has a ‘divergent view’ from its rivals

India won’t back down from collecting $13 billion of past dues from debt-laden telecom carriers because the industry is not under stress, a government official with knowledge of the matter said, a move that could deepen Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone Idea Ltd.’s financial woes.

India expects the carriers to pay up within 90 days as ordered by the Supreme Court last month, the official said, asking not to be identified, as the discussions are private. A panel of top bureaucrats could look at deferred payment plan for some of the dues, the person said.

The government’s stand about the health of the industry mirrors comments made by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., which has said it has a “divergent view” from its rivals. High fees, frequent flip-flops and endless tax demands over the years have driven most operators aground. From over 10 operators few years ago, India has just three non-state players left with two of them saddled with a mountain of debt.

Vodafone Group Plc’s Indian venture has $14 billion worth of obligations, while Bharti Airtel is rated junk by Moody’s Investors Service. “All telecom operators have asked for requisite help in reducing” the financial stress, Vodafone Idea said last month. The “extraordinary scenario” being shown is “just a machination to extract relief,” Reliance Jio said in a letter to the minister of communications on Oct. 31.

Bharti Airtel Ltd. shares fell 1.4 per cent as of 9:46 a.m. in Mumbai today. Vodafone Idea Ltd. lost 7.1 per cent while Reliance Industries Ltd. slid 0.8 per cent. The Sensex was down 0.4 per cent…

AGR payments: Reliance Jio slams peers, questions telecom sector stress

Says incumbents have enough resources, monetisation opportunities pay up

Reliance Jio on Wednesday attacked incumbent operators, saying it disagreed with “the threatening and blackmailing tone” of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) letter. In a letter on Tuesday night, the COAI had written to Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, claiming that the Supreme Court (SC) judgment on the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) will lead to a monopoly in the sector and the government’s digitisation programme will suffer.

The Supreme Court (SC) had on October 24 agreed with the Department of Telecom’s (DoT’s) definition of the AGR, asking the telcos to pay dues and interest amounting to Rs 1.33 trillion within three months.

In its letter of protest addressed to COAI Secretary General Rajan Matthew, Reliance Jio said it had taken “strong umbrage at the COAI exploiting the legitimate payout obligations to create alarmist propaganda”. It also alleged “it appears that this sum was used for expanding some other business as per their (incumbents’) commercial decisions”.

A top executive of Jio said: “We do not agree to the contention of the incumbents that they are not in a financial position to pay their legitimate dues.” In its letter, Jio said, “operators have capacity and enough monetisation possibilities to comfortably pay government dues”…

Blow to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea as SC rules out AGR definition change url

The two telecom providers will now have to pay Rs 50,000 crore to the Department of Telecommunications

Supreme Court on Thursday rejected telecom companies’ appeal against the Union government’s definition of Adjusted Gross Revenue. The apex court will later decide on the timeframe for the operators to pay AGR.

The definition of AGR has been a long standing issue between the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), in particular, on some items that the TSPs strongly believed should not be included while calculating AGR since these are not part of the core telecommunications services.

In a major blow to telecom majors Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the existing definition of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) will prevail. This implies that the two telecom providers will now have to pay Rs 50,000 crore to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The issue had been dragging for the past 14 years with the telecom providers and DoT locked in battle over the definition of AGR. While the telecom providers insisted that AGR only included revenue from core operations, DoT maintained that AGR also included revenue from operations, other than core ones…

Jio says rivals fraudulently claiming IUC; asks Trai to slap penalties

In a letter to Trai, it alleged the three firms have allotted mobile numbers as customer care or helpline numbers to companies such as Oyo, Justdial, and Videocon D2H

Reliance Jio has accused Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) of fraudulently claiming interconnect usage charge (IUC) from it, for incoming calls on landline numbers.

It asked Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to penalise the three entities and to direct them to refund the money, with interest. In a letter to Trai, it alleged the three firms have allotted mobile numbers as customer care or helpline numbers to companies such as Oyo, Justdial, and Videocon D2H.

A breach, it says, of the IUC regulations Trai issued in 2003. These prescribe separate charges for calls terminating on wireless and wireline numbers — current per minute termination charges are 6p and nil, respectively.

Reliance Jio said in all these cases the mobile number acts as a virtual number for routing customer care and helpline-related calls. “Thus, even when the calling party is dialling the mobile numbers, all such calls are actually terminating on the fixed lines without ever touching the radio access network of the terminating operator,” went the Jio letter.

It said this situation changes the nature and character of a call from ‘mobile to wireline network’ to ‘mobile to mobile network’. In the interconnect agreements signed between Jio and Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL for calls on universal access and toll-free numbers, the originating operator receives 36-52p a minute from the terminating one. “We suspect thousands of such numbers are operational in the market, deployed by them,” Jio said...

Top 10 business headlines: Modi’s economic plan, stimulus package & more

From SoftBank eyeing stake in Airtel’s telecom biz and other assets to Anil Agarwal’s expression of interest to revive Jet Airways, here are the top 10 business headlines for Monday

1) Our Mantra is to revive animal spirits, make India investment magnet: PM ModiWe will leave no stone unturned towards making India the best investment destination in the world, improve ease of doing business, go “as far as possible” to revive the “animal spirits” and make the “entire private sector bullish”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told the Economic Times in an interview.

Further, the Prime Minister said that he had taken the decision on Article 370‘s abrogation from Jammu and Kashmir after a “great deal of thought”. According to the financial daily, he said that he was certain this would help create the three necessary conditions for investment: stability, market access and predictable laws.

2) Govt looks to reverse economic slowdown with a stimulus package: Amid fears of a global slowdown, the government is putting together a set of measures — from tax cuts to targeted sops — to reverse the economic downturn gripping the country at present, LiveMint reported on Monday, while citing three people aware of the ongoing discussions.

According to the report, the government’s idea is to roll out various countercyclical measures, including confidence-building steps for the private sector and sectoral incentives, to stimulate the economy, which is facing losses, layoffs and an investment freeze…

Aadhaar could be a single target for cyber criminals: RBI researchers

A recent investigation alleged that unrestricted access to details of over one billion Aadhaar numbers can be purchased at as little as Rs 500

​SMXLL

The benefits of Aadhaar, India’s biometrics-based unique national identity system–the world’s largest–are unclear and the impact of direct benefit transfers it will be used to deliver to the poor is not studied enough, a new study published by an arm of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has concluded.

The paper, ‘Biometric and Its Impact in India’, was a part of Staff Papers series published in its October 2017 edition. It is written by S Ananth, an adjunct faculty at the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), which was established by the RBI as an autonomous institute.

Also read : Iris Scan To Add Layer To Aadhaar Authentication

Aadhaar is becoming central to India’s public policy with increasing number of programmes being linked to it. And its scope is constantly increasing. In the seven years following its introduction, 1.12 billion Indians or 88.2% of the population have enrolled for Aadhaar, IndiaSpend reported in March, 2017.

Established by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, Aadhaar is now used for direct benefit transfers as well as distribution of foodgrains and essential commodities–under the public distribution system (PDS)–by the state. It includes various payments linked through Aadhaar-enabled payment system....

Read more about : Aadhar data leak

Apple iPhone X to go on sale in India today: Check out the best deals

In India, the iPhone X base model with 64 GB storage is priced at Rs 89,000 and the higher storage model with 256 GB internal storage is priced at Rs 1,02,000

 

Apple’s anniversary edition iPhone X is going on sale in India today. The smartphone will be available through Apple'sretail stores and e-commerce platforms. Also, the phone will be available on the online stores of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.

In India, the iPhone X base model with 64 GB storage is priced at Rs 89,000 and the higher storage model with 256 GB internal storage is priced at Rs 1,02,000.

Here are some of the deals on iPhone X

Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio has teamed up with Apple to offer 70 per cent buyback option to Jio customers on iPhone X. Also, Reliance Jio is offering Rs 10,000 cashback to Citibank customers on purchase of the iPhone X using their Citibank credit or debit card.

The buyback offer on iPhone X is valid only for Jio subscribers who opt for Rs 799 monthly Jio-Apple contract, which is valid for 12 months. The buyback offer assures 70 per cent money back to subscribers post 12-months subjected to terms and conditions.

The Rs 799 monthly contract is available for postpaid and prepaid subscribers. In the Rs 799 monthly plan, Reliance Jio will offer free voice calls, SMS and Jio apps coupled with 3 GB high-speed 4G data per day valid for 28 days.

Airtel

India’s leading telecom player Bharti Airtel would sell Apple’s anniversary edition iPhone X through its online store. The much-awaited smartphone of the year will go on sale starting 6 PM (IST), exclusively to Airtel postpaid customers as an unlocked device.

The Airtel Online store will put on sale both the variants of iPhone X. The 64 GB and 256 GB model of the smartphone is priced at Rs 89,000 and Rs 1,02,000, respectively. Citibank credit card customers can also avail Rs 10,000 cashback on the purchase of iPhone X. The cashback offer can be availed between 6 PM, November 3 and 7 AM, November 4, 2017.

Unlike Reliance Jio, the iPhone X purchased through Airtel store does not come with any bundled offer or buy back scheme. As an unlocked device, the smartphone can be used on any network.

Jio effect? You could soon buy a 4G feature phone only for Rs 1,500

Prices of 4G feature phones currently start at about Rs 3,000

Last year, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio disrupted the telecom space with extremely affordable 4G tariffs. The company seems to be geared to continue its disruptive streak by launching low-cost feature phones that, apparently, will do away with the need for smartphones.

Business Standard in January had reported that Reliance Jio was considering to launch 4G VoLTE-ready feature phones that would cost around Rs 999, with access to Jio’s high-speed 4G internet, the Jio digital store and play music.

According to a report published by The Economic Times on Tuesday, Chinese mobile chip maker Spreadtrum Communications has said it is working on reducing starting prices by at least half from the current levels, which might bring the 4G feature phone prices down to Rs 1,500.

Shanghai-based Spreadtrum Communications has a two-year old partnership with Reliance Industries Ltd and has powered its affordable LYF Flame 5 smartphone.

Reliance Jio Infocomm is understood to be in talks with Chinese contract manufacturers like Techchain, FortuneShip and Uniscope to explore manufacturing of 4G VoLTE feature phones, said a Financial Express report.| READ MORE..

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Jio effect: 5 things that show telecom sector will never be the same again

With Reliance Jio coming out with new deal for users, pain will aggravate and extend to June quarter

 

If the December quarter was bad for the telecom sector, the March quarter could be worse. The full impact of Reliance Jio's (RJio) service will be felt from the March quarter as people had still been trying out the service and the size had been growing to peak levels towards the end of FY16. On every parameter -- realisations, volumes, revenues, margins or debt -- companies are likely to report numbers that are at multi-year lows/peaks. 

Here are five things from the March quarter that stand out:

ARPU is in, all other metrics are out

The launch of free offers and attractive packages has made a number of operational metrics like data revenue per megabyte and average revenue per minute redundant. Harsh Jagnani of ICRA says that given the bundled offers by all telecom operators, the 'primary metric which will be tracked' going ahead will be average revenue per subscriber or ARPU. RJio's bundled offers, allowing users unlimited calls and data usage, is the prime reason for this sea change. 

Revenues take a dive as ARPUs hit 5-year lows

CRISIL Research estimates that March quarter revenues for the four listed players will fall by 10 per cent year-on-year as compared to the 5 per cent year-on-year fall in the December quarter. The reason for the sharp decline is no

t only fall in tariffs, both for data and voice, but also the dip in volumes given a large amount of data usage shifted to RJio. Industry ARPUs have been estimated to fall to five-year lows of around Rs 150. With RJio coming out with a new deal for its users, the pain will aggravate and extend to the June quarter.|  read full story...

IPL 2017 gets bigger with sponsors, key players missing in the 10th edition

Virat Kohli out for the first week; Ashwin, de Cock, Mars, Vijay, Rahul among missing names

 

Amid much fan-frenzy, and competition among sponsors and players, the Indian Premiere League turns 10 this season. And organisers are preparing for a big celebration for the landmark edition, which kicks off on Wednesday. Unlike past editions, the 10th season will host eight different opening ceremonies, one before the first home game of each franchise, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla announced on Monday. 

After Pepsi terminated its contract with IPL, Vivo Electronics bagged the title sponsorship for two years in 2015. Business Standard had earlier reported that Vivo will pay Rs 100 crore a year, against the Rs 80 crore Pepsi was paying annually.

Broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has signed up 11 sponsors, including Amazon, and it is targeting over Rs 1,200 crore in advertisement revenue from the 10th season.

E-commerce major Amazon, mobile handset maker Vivo and telecom giant Vodafone will be the presenting sponsors, while Ceat, wire-maker Polycab, Yamaha Motorcycles, Vimal Pan Masala, MakeMytrip, Parle Agro's Frooti, Voltas and YES Bank are associate sponsors.

However, the only regret for some fans of the cricket extravaganza this year is going to be the absence of some blockbuster names in the game. Thanks to international cricketing calendar getting busier with every passing year, the players are getting more prone to injuries. Even before the start of the touranment, injuries have already started bothering the franchises as well. Many star players could give this year's IPL a complete or partial miss. 

The biggest among missing names in IPL 2017 is Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli, who is out due to his shoulder injury. Kohli, however, is likely to return on the field by the second week of April. 

K L Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Marsh, Murali Vijay will completely miss the tournament due to their respective injuries. While Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to regain fitness, they would be missing some of the initial matches. Lasith Malinga is on a national duty and might miss the first few matches, while J P Duminy pulled out of the tournamnet citing personal reasons.

Also Read: 

Is the world's most popular cricket league at crossroads?

Fanning the IPL fever

 In IPL 2017 auction, uncapped players enjoy high bidding by teams

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Vodafone-Idea merger: A telecom giant is born amid Reliance Jio threat

Vodafone, Idea merger to create biggest telco in the country

 

 

Facing intense competition from cash-rich Reliance Jio, the Aditya Birla Group and British telecom giant Vodafone Plc on Monday announced the merger of their Indian wireless telephony businesses, creating the largest telecom operator in the country.

In a news conference in Mumbai, Vodafone Group Plc Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vittorio Colao and Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the merger would create a new champion of digital India. It would launch new services soon.

As the first step of the merger, Birla-owned Idea Cellular and Vodafone India would merge their operations at a swap ratio of 1:1. Then, Birla’s holding companies would buy a 4.9 per cent stake from Vodafone at Rs 110 per share, investing close to Rs 3,900 crore. This will increase Idea’s stake to 26 per cent and bring down Vodafone Plc’s stake to 45.1 per cent. The Birlas would have the right to acquire another 9.5 per cent stake from Vodafone in the next four years, so that both partners eventually hold an equal stake in the company (about 35.5 per cent each).

             

“Consolidation is a much-anticipated and welcome development in this beleaguered sector. It will help bring in operational efficiencies and improved quality of services for customers. The regulatory regime will have to ensure that benefits of effective competition continue to be availed by customers,” said Arpita Pal Agrawal, partner and leader – Telecom, PwC India.  Before the transaction is completed, Vodafone and Idea also plan to sell their standalone tower assets and Idea’s 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers to reduce leverage in the combined company. | ( READ MORE )