Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Nokia, TNN, Paratus, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, TRAI, among others.
Paratus Powers Up Tati Siding with High-Speed Broadband Expansion
Paratus Botswana has expanded its network to Tati Siding near Francistown, offering fixed-wireless and microwave broadband for homes and businesses. The rollout is part of its wider investment to improve nationwide connectivity by leveraging backbone routes like the Gaborone-Plumtree corridor and Kalahari Fiber for resilience and high-capacity services. A customer-focused free installation offered until month-end aims to drive adoption and make high-speed internet more accessible.
India’s Big Telcos Fight for Fairer Spectrum Rules to Free Capital and Boost 5G
Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel are urging the government to revise India’s spectrum-surrender policy to make investments more efficient. Vodafone Idea wants surrender rights extended to pre-2022 spectrum bought at market prices, while Airtel seeks refunds or charge adjustments for prepaid airwaves. Operators say the current rules penalise upfront payments and restrict optimal reallocation of unused spectrum, discouraging investment in improved 4G and 5G networks and customer services.
Jio Pushes TRAI for Spectrum Boost to Power Satellite-to-Phone Revolution
Reliance Jio has urged TRAI to include the L-band (1–2 GHz) and S-band (2–4 GHz) in the auction framework for satellite direct-to-device services, saying these bands are globally used for satellite-to-phone innovation and should be treated like IMT spectrum to speed up nationwide adoption. Jio also supports recognising the upper 6 GHz band but recommends regulator-led pilot trials to ensure coexistence with terrestrial networks. According to the operator, opening these bands will enable large-scale D2D deployment, expand coverage to underserved regions, and improve customer connectivity through unified, software-defined networks.
Shafana Fazal
