Latest news with #TelecomRegulatoryAuthority
Khaleej Times
24-06-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
NRIs in UAE: How can I take a loan against my gold belongings?
Question: My brother in India wants to take a loan for his business against the security of gold belonging to the family. Are there any rules or guidelines for determining the amount of loan which would be sanctioned by a bank against security of the gold? ANSWER: The Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio is fixed by the Reserve Bank of India. If the loan amount is upto Rs250,000, the LTV is 85 per cent. For loans upto Rs500,000, the LTV is capped at 80 85 per cent, and for loans above this figure, the LTV is 75 85 per cent. For valuing the gold, banks and non-banking finance companies are required to take into account the lower of the average closing price of the gold over the previous thirty days, or the latest closing price. If gems and other precious stones are part of the security, their value will be excluded and the intrinsic metal value alone will be taken into account. Re-pledging of collateral or using it to obtain loans from other institutions is not permitted. Banks and other lenders are required to follow standardised assaying procedures in the borrower's presence and disclose the valuation method. A declaration will have to be made by the borrower as proof of his ownership of the pledged gold. Question: Is satellite based communication going to be a reality in India in the near future? There are media reports that several companies, both foreign and Indian, are keen to enter this space. ANSWER: In May this year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended administrative allocation of satellite based communication spectrum, subject to certain conditions being complied with. The regulator has fixed the fee for such allocation at four per cent of the Adjusted Gross Revenue. Consequently, multiple players have applied for a licence and therefore it is expected that the rollout of the satellite network will happen at a fast pace. The revenue is expected to grow from the current level of $2.3 billion to around $20 billion by 2028. The Government is keen to push forward the satcom policy at the earliest and, once permissions are given by the authority, satellite based internet services would be available throughout the country. One of the major global players Starlink has agreed to the stringent conditions laid down by the Department of Telecom and the Government has cleared its application for a Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite licence. It has already paid the fees required by law and therefore it will be in a position to start its operations as soon as it secures approval from the Indian Space and Authorisation Centre. Strict security requirements have been laid down, including the need to establish methods of interception as well as having a command and control centre in India. Question: With the growing population of under-40s in India, the number of persons seeking jobs is increasing every year. Will it be possible to provide such persons with gainful employment opportunities? ANSWER: The only way to ensure that the demographic dividend is reaped by the country is to provide training and skills to millions of prospective young workers. The Government is therefore devising a new framework for skilling young citizens so that they may either be employed or are capable of being self-employed as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc. where tremendous opportunities exist in view of the large number of residential properties that are coming up. Government is also thinking of handing over industrial training institutes (ITIs) to manufacturing companies. At present, there are 15,034 ITIs functioning in the country, of which 3,298 are run by the Government and the balance by private enterprises. The Central Government runs schemes to provide financial support to State Governments for strengthening the infrastructure of ITIs and improving the quality of training provided by them. The Government has approached Chambers of Commerce to encourage companies which are their members to take over the Government-run ITIs and run them as polytechnics. The companies would decide on the curriculum in conformity with their requirement for a skilled workforce. The objective is that every sector of industry should have a large pool of skilled talent which will be available for future growth. The Government has allocated Rs.88 billion for the Skill India Programme and these funds will be available to the corporate sector which undertakes the training of its employees. HP Ranina is a practising lawyer, specialising in corporate and fiscal laws of India.
Times of Oman
08-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
India's wireless subscriber base hits 1.16 billion in March, grows 0.28% monthly: TRAI
New Delhi: India's total wireless subscriber base, including mobile and 5G fixed wireless access (FWA), rose to 1,163.76 million in March current year from 1,160.33 million in February, marking a monthly growth of 0.28 per cent, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday. The TRAI data reveals that the total wireless subscription in urban areas decreased from 634 million on February-25 to 632.57 million on March-25, and the subscription in rural areas also increased from 526.33 million to 531.18 million during the same period. The monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless subscriptions was minus 0.26 per cent and 0.92 per cent, respectively, the data shows. The Wireless Tele-density in India increased from 82.23 per cent at the end of Feb-25 to 82.42 per cent at the end of March. The Urban Wireless Tele-density decreased from 125.30 per cent at the end of February to 124.83 per cent at the end of March this year; however, the Rural Teledensity increased from 58.16 per cent to 58.67 per cent during the same period. The share of urban and rural wireless subscribers in the total number of wireless subscribers was 54.36 per cent and 45.64 per cent, respectively, at the end of March-25, the data shows. Going deeper into the data, total wireless (Mobile) subscribers increased from 1,154.05 million at the end of February to 1,156.99 million at the end of March 2025, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.25 per cent. Wireless (Mobile) subscription in urban areas increased from 627.94 million at the end of Feb-25 to 628.31 million at the end of Mar-25, and wireless (Mobile) subscription in rural areas also increased from 526.11 million to 528.68 million during the same period. The monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless (Mobile) subscription was 0.06 per cent and 0.49 per cent, respectively, the data reveals. Region-wise data suggests that the Delhi service area has maximum tele-density of 275.79 per cent and the Bihar service area has minimum tele-density of 57.23 per cent at the end of March. The data suggests that Reliance Jio had 40.60 per cent share in net additions in mobile subscriber base, followed by Bharti Airtel, which accounts for 33.69 per cent, Vodafone Idea 17.75 per cent, and BSNL retaining 7.87 per cent.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Time of India
Kashmir man held for letting account to be used for fraud
Mumbai: A 25-year-old man from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested for allegedly allowing his bank account to be used by cyber fraudsters. These fraudsters impersonated officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority and as police officers. They threatened an 82-year-old woman, claiming that she was under investigation in a money laundering case, and extorted Rs 1.8 crore from her. A team of Central Cyber Police arrested Tajmul Akbar Sofi from Kashmir on Monday and brought him to Mumbai on transit remand. The police team probing the case said that his interrogation would shed light on his mentors. The complaint was filed in Feb this year in Bandra. According to her complaint, the fraudster contacted her via WhatsApp call, identifying himself as "Rajveer Kundra" from TRAI. Then, one Rahul Gupta, posing as a Supreme Court official, sent her forged 'Supreme Court' documents to support the claim. tnn You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
Gulf Insider
26-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Rules In Oman: TikTok Use, WhatsApp Calls Explained
Oman has introduced regulations for the use of VPNs and certain applications, such as WhatsApp calls and TikTok, in the country. According to a report from the Oman Observer, companies running these services can either collaborate directly with telecom providers or work through them, explained a top official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) during their annual media briefing on April 23. The TRA also emphasised that it does not directly ban these applications, but regulates their services through licensing and by encouraging local companies. Although TikTok is not banned in the country, user issues are attributed to technical reasons. Additionally, several TikTok users have started accessing the platform without a VPN. All decisions made by the TRA aim to balance economic considerations with the needs of those benefiting from these services. The country's laws are carefully developed, considering feedback from international companies offering these services. The community also has the opportunity to voice its opinion, the official added.
Observer
24-04-2025
- Business
- Observer
Can we use TikTok, WhatsApp calls in Oman
Muscat: Regulations are in place for using VPNs and certain applications, such as WhatsApp calls or TikTok, as these companies can do so directly or in cooperation with telecom companies, the senior official of the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) said at the annual media briefing on Wednesday. The TRA also clarified that it does not directly ban applications but regulates services through the issuance of licenses and by encouraging local companies. It also clarified that TikTok is currently not banned, and the issues faced by users are due to technical reasons. The Observer has been informed that several TikTok users have started using it without a VPN. He said all TRA decisions seek to balance the economic aspect with the needs of those benefiting from this type of service. Laws are developed after considering the feedback of the international companies providing such services, and even the community gets time to express their opinion, he said.
