Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Telecom Italia, Vodafone Idea, BSNL, Pakistan’s 5G spectrum auction, among others.
Telecom Italia Secures €750 mn Loan to Fund Digital Infrastructure
Telecom Italia (TIM) secured a €750 million syndicated loan with a five-year term. Italy’s export credit agency SACE will guarantee 70 percent of the loan through the Archimede scheme, which is designed to support digital transformation and green investment. TIM will use the funds to upgrade its digital infrastructure and services in alignment with national and European Union plans. In 2024, €10 billion from the Archimede scheme’s €60 billion ceiling was utilized. The loan was arranged with BNL BNP Paribas, Banco BPM, Intesa Sanpaolo, JPMorgan, Societe Generale, and UniCredit. The financing supports TIM’s restructuring efforts. In 2023, TIM sold its fixed-line network to a KKR-led consortium for €18.8 billion. The sale reduced the company’s debt and improved its financial profile. Poste Italiane has acquired a 24.8 percent stake in TIM, becoming the largest shareholder and replacing Vivendi, Reuters reports.
India’s 5G Expansion: Vodafone Idea and BSNL Drive Network Growth with New Technology
Vodafone Idea has launched 5G services in Delhi NCR using Ericsson’s Massive MIMO radios AIR 3268 and AIR 3255. The company expanded 5G coverage to 23 cities and aims to cover 17 telecom circles by August 2025. Vodafone Idea partnered with Nokia to upgrade its optical transport network to support increased 5G capacity. Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) introduced Quantum 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in Hyderabad and other cities. The FWA device operates without a SIM card and targets enterprise users. BSNL ordered 19,000 new 4G towers with software upgrades to enable 5G and plans to upgrade 90,000 existing towers. BSNL’s 5G network features a core developed by C-DoT, RAN by Tejas Networks, and system integration by TCS. India currently has approximately 481,000 5G base stations and around 250 million 5G subscribers as of May 2025. BSNL plans to deploy 100,000 indigenous 4G towers upgradeable to 5G, Economic Times reports.
Pakistan’s 5G Auction Delayed Amid Telenor-PTCL Merger Uncertainty
The 5G spectrum auction in Pakistan remains on hold due to unresolved issues surrounding the proposed merger between Telenor Pakistan and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL). The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) is awaiting essential documentation from PTCL to finalize its decision. Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed that ongoing litigation and uncertainty over the merger are the primary reasons for the delay. PTCL’s submissions to the CCP were found unclear and incomplete, prompting the regulator to request additional information. The auction format depends on the number of telecom operators post-merger. Currently, there are four telecom operators in Pakistan: Jazz, Zong, Telenor Pakistan, and Ufone, Dawn reports.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
