The outbreak of coronavirus is impacting industries and businesses across the world. It has virtually brought the world economy to a standstill with millions of people placed under lockdown and global supply chains thrown into disarray. As the pandemic rages on, manufacturing of smartphones and telecom equipment has taken a hit. Meanwhile, in the face of lockdowns, retail stores are being shut down across the world. As unfortunate as this global medical emergency is, there are few silver linings too. As the work-from-home concept becomes the new norm, all major remote conferencing service providers are witnessing increasing uptake of their solutions. Further, the coronavirus outbreak is compelling traditionally less digitally inclined organisations to ramp up their digital infrastructure. Meanwhile, digital media consumption through social media, online gaming and OTT video streaming platforms is peaking as more people get homebound.
tele.net is tracking key developments, both positive and negative, relating to COVID-19’s impact on the telecom sector. We bring to you our coverage…
Goa government sets up telecom task force to increase efficiency in the sector
Indian smartphone market to decline by 13-15 per cent due to Covid-19, says IDC
TRAI declines telcos plea for holding discussion on fixing floor price for tariffs
DoT extends deadline to file compliance reports for ISPs till June 30, 2020
Samsung to sell smartphones through Facebook; asks retailers to set up business page
Apple and Google launch their contact tracing APIs for COVID-19 apps
Oppo suspends operations at Greater Noida factory to screen 3,000 employees for COVID-19
Coronavirus-themed spams rise by 4,300 per cent since February 2020, says IBM report
Phishing scams related to Aarogya Setu app see a significant surge, says report
Lava resumes operations in Noida Factory with 20 per cent production capacity
Airtel payments bank waives off cash withdrawal charges to help users amid lockdown
Vodafone Idea customers in UP West can now recharge at kirana and medical stores
Google India makes available a new COVID-19 dedicated website in various regional languages
Foxconn and Wistron to resume production in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
Digital payments surge amid the nationwide lockdown to benefit telcos, says CLSA report
Vodafone Idea offers customer service on Whatsapp through virtual agent VIC
SC reserves order on petitions seeking restoration of 4G internet services in J&K
COAI writes to DoT requesting extension in timeline for minimum roll-out obligation by 6-9 months
Telecom sector enabling 30-35 per cent contribution to India’s GDP amid COVID-19 crisis, says report
India’s electronics manufacturing space can gain from China’s loss, says Ravi Shankar Prasad
MyGov partners VMate to provide COVID-19 related information to the masses
Fixed broadband data consumption has increased by 25-30 per cent amid lockdown, says Crisil
AIMRA seeks stimulus package from the government for mobile retailers
Apple offers financial support to 500 of its exclusive stores in India
Telcos ask states, UTs to issue requisite order for opening up recharge stores amid lockdown
TAIPA urges state governments to reduce electricity tariffs in view of the COVID-19 situation
Mobile recharge shops are allowed to operate as per relaxed lockdown guidelines, says MHA
COVID-19 driven lockdown is driving the demand for telecom services, says report
BSNL postpones online bid submission deadline for its 4G tender by 15 days to May 23
BSNL extends validity of incoming and outgoing calls for prepaid users till May 5
Bharti Airtel partners Vahan to connect COVID impacted migrant labourers with nearest NGOs
Telcos ask TRAI to extend the timeline for submitting data of prepaid users to April 20
Telcos ask TRAI to extend timeline for submitting data of prepaid users
TRAI asks telcos to provide details on recharge pattern of prepaid users amid lockdown
MeitY asks home ministry to allow more CSCs to function in rural areas amid lockdown
Reliance Jio to offer free 10 Mbps broadband connectivity in Mumbai till lockdown
Despite lockdown challenges, Bharti Airtel to provide users 1Gbps broadband, says Gopal Vittal
TAIPA requests Power Ministry to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to telecom towers
Vodafone Idea partners Google for providing food and night shelter information to 2G users
Telcos providing adequate benefits to low-income users despite financial stress, says COAI to TRAI
L&T to help 20 cities in fighting COVID-19 through AI and smart technologies
DoT relaxes time for self-certification of mobile tower radiation norms
COAI writes to DoT for clearing dues worth Rs 200 billion owed by PSUs
Airtel, Jio to offer extra credit to prepaid users recharging for other users
Telcos request government to allow digital-KYC process for new SIMs, MNP
Smartphone brands may further increase prices after the lockdown ends in India, says IDC
Vodafone Idea’s 4G+ network keeping Mumbai connected during lockdown
Data consumption in rural India surges nearly 100 per cent during lockdown period, says CSC
COVID-19 outbreak likely to delay completion of BharatNet, says Axis Capital
Government launches Aarogya Setu app to track COVID-19 cases in the country
COAI seeks urgent relief measures from finance minister amid COVID-19 outbreak
Government reaches out to leading IT companies to devise strategies for fighting COVID-19 outbreak
Mobile consumption surges 12 per cent amid COVID-19 lockdown, says BARC India – Nielsen report
Samsung, OnePlus and Oppo extend warranty across their product portfolio until May 31, 2020
Unguarded usage of the Zoom app can bring forth cyber security risks, says CERT-In
BSNL vendors seek intervention of telecom and finance minister to clear wages of 200,000 employees
Nationwide lockdown likely to have less impact on Reliance Jio, says Motilal Oswal report
No additional spectrum required to maintain stability and quality of networks, says COAI
Integrated command and control centres across 45 smart cities turned into COVID-19 war rooms
ICEA urges government to allow online sales of mobiles, PCs as essential services amid lockdown
Oppo and Realme extend warranty period for various products and services
Airtel launches tool powered by Apollo Hospitals to help users identify COVID-19 symptoms and risk
MTNL offers one month free access to corporate servers for enabling work from home
Telcos request mobile phone users to use internet data responsibly
DoT asks states to designate nodal officer for telecom to provide assistance to service providers
ITU launches global platform to help protect telecommunication networks during the COVID-19 crisis
Foxconn and Wistron Corporation suspend production at India plants
OTT platforms to reduce streaming bitrates to mitigate network congestion
Airtel, Jio set to benefit from work-from-home trend, says BoFA report
DoT asks States to facilitate uninterrupted operation of critical communications networks
Google cancels the Google I/O developers conference; launches a Covid-19 dedicated search portal
Telcos request DoT and TRAI to allow users free access to critical sites
Reliance Jio along with parent RIL takes key measures to combat coronavirus outbreak
Xiaomi, Lenovo-Motorola and Lava temporarily suspend production in India
Airtel takes key measures to ensure connectivity as load on networks grow
Samsung, Oppo, Vivo suspend smartphone production at Noida facility
ONE GigaFiber enables work from home with “Double speed- Unlimited GBs” offer
COAI urges TRAI to hold online open house discussion on the floor price issue
DoT relaxes norms for OSPs till April 30, 2020 to enable IT and ITeS companies to work from home
Apple shuts down retail stores worldwide until March 27 due to Covid-19 outbreak
Mobile phone manufacturing to be impacted in the aftermath of Covid-19, says ICEA
DoT directs telcos to put coronavirus awareness message as ringing tone to create awareness
GSMA calls off Mobile World Congress 2020 citing Coronavirus concerns