Important Milestones In Indian Telecom Sector In 2020

India recently celebrated 25 years of mobility, but its telecom sector isn't in the best of the shape. The sector has been changed drastically as Reliance Jio has become the number one player in terms of user, revenue, and market share. Additionally, India has become the second-largest telecom market in the world.

Besides, the Supreme Court has announced its verdict on adjusted gross revenue dues. Notably, that was a landmark decision announced by the apex court as telecom operators finally knew how much they have to pay or shell out from their pockets to clear the dues. So, we are listing all major milestones achieved by the telecom industry this year.

Reliance Jio Number One Telecom Player; Launches Postpaid Plans And JioPhone Users

This is quite surprising for the telecom industry as Reliance Jio became the number one player in just four years of operations. The operator is currently serving its services to 404.15 million users along with a 35.19 percent share in September as per TRAI data.

Besides, the operator launched five postpaid plans of Rs. 399, Rs. 599, Rs. 799, Rs. 999, and Rs. 1, 499. In addition, the telecom operator has launched plans for Jiophone users along with work from home packs and few internet packs.

Reliance Jio Becomes Debt Free Before The Actual Time

After becoming the number one telecom operator, Reliance Jio sold its stake to 13 international firms to reduce the debt burden. So far, Reliance Jio raised Rs 1.52 lakh crore after selling a 32.9 percent stake in its platform. The investor list includes Facebook, Vista Equity Partners KKR, Mubadala, Google, Silver Lake, General Atlantic, ADIA, TPG, L Catterton, Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Intel Capital, and Qualcomm Ventures.

Department Of Telecommunication Bans Chinese Equipment Vendors In The BSNL 4G Tender

Even though half of the BSNL telecom equipment is from Chinese vendors like Huawei and ZTE, the DoT has asked the operator to use domestic vendors in the 4G network deployment. It is worth mentioning that both Huawei and ZTE are under the ministry scanner ever since the tension between India and China started. Similarly, the ministry has asked all private players to review the security of their networks.

Telecom Operator Launched Several Initiatives During Lockdown

All telecom operators have launched plans for their customers, especially for those who are working from home. Operators have launched new prepaid plans and special tariff vouchers to cater to the needs of the customers. Let's start with Airtel work from home plans.

The operator also has announced free talk time for its customers, especially to low-income groups. Additionally, the operators launched special apps and other initiatives to help people during the lockdown.

Supreme Court Verdict On AGR Debt

The apex court asked Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, and other operators to AGR payment in 10 years; however, they have to pay 10 percent of the amount by March 2021. Earlier, telecom operators and the Department of Telecommunication had asked for 20 years to pay the debt. According to DoT, Vi (Vodafone-Idea) has to pay Rs. 50,339 crore, Airtel has to clear Rs. 25,976 crore and Tata Telecom has to pay Rs. 12,601 crore.

Reliance Jio Launches In-Flight Connectivity

Reliance Jio has recently announced the launch of in-flight connectivity for its customers. The operator has also joined hands with AeroMobile, which is a subsidiary of Panasonic Avionics Corporation. The telecom operator has also launched three plans of Rs. 499, Rs. 699, and Rs. 999. It includes 250MB, 500MB, and 1GB data. These packs also ship 100 minutes for calling, 100 messages only one day.