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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
A conflict is escalating between telecom and broadcasting on who gets what spectrum. The government seems to be in a rush to decide.
Editor's note: It seems like the television industry cannot catch a break. It has been over a year now that Indian broadcasting companies—from Star India and Sony to Viacom18 and Zee—have been fighting for survival and relevance. A new tariff regime that came into the picture last year and the pandemic that followed have kept the sector on its toes throughout. And before things could have gotten any better, the threat of yet another interruption is looming—the 5G spectrum allocation. The recent weeks have seen some chatter about broadcasting executives losing their sleep over the long-awaited 5G deployment in India. To pave way for the fifth generation of cellular networks, the government has been working on a frequency allocation plan and according to four industry executives who we spoke with, it is actively considering going for frequencies that could mess with the way broadcasting works in India. The Economic Times touched upon this the last month: TV broadcasters have raised serious concerns regarding interference, disruption of signals and deterioration of broadcast quality due to 5G services even as telcos are awaiting clarity …
A conflict is escalating between telecom and broadcasting on who gets what spectrum. The government seems to be in a rush to decide.
Editor's note: It seems like the television industry cannot catch a break. It has been over a year now that Indian broadcasting companies—from Star India and Sony to Viacom18 and Zee—have been fighting for survival and relevance. A new tariff regime that came into the picture last year and the pandemic that followed have kept the sector on its toes throughout. And before things could have gotten any better, the threat of yet another interruption is looming—the 5G spectrum allocation. The recent weeks have seen some chatter about broadcasting executives losing their sleep over the long-awaited 5G deployment in India. To pave way for the fifth generation of cellular networks, the government has been working on a frequency allocation plan and according to four industry executives who we spoke with, it is actively considering going for frequencies that could mess with the way broadcasting works in India. The Economic Times touched upon this the last month: TV broadcasters have raised serious concerns regarding interference, disruption of signals and deterioration of broadcast quality due to 5G services even as telcos are awaiting clarity …
While the Rs 9,000 crore promoter investment in Q1 brings a measure of reassurance, investors will still have to wait for Jio and retail to work through their challenges.
FY26 numbers show that Airtel is stealing a march on its larger rival on most counts and is unrelenting in its ambition, casting a cloud on Jio’s valuation.
Reliance’s telecom business has demonstrated impressive growth in Q1. Yet, fundamental slippages are holding back profitability, even as Airtel continues to keep its lead. Expect more headwinds, not a bumper IPO.
While the Rs 9,000 crore promoter investment in Q1 brings a measure of reassurance, investors will still have to wait for Jio and retail to work through their challenges.
FY26 numbers show that Airtel is stealing a march on its larger rival on most counts and is unrelenting in its ambition, casting a cloud on Jio’s valuation.
Reliance’s telecom business has demonstrated impressive growth in Q1. Yet, fundamental slippages are holding back profitability, even as Airtel continues to keep its lead. Expect more headwinds, not a bumper IPO.
