Trai for no licence for Net telephony
New Delhi: Internet telephony is all set to be become free from 1 April with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India making path-breaking recommendations to the government.

The regulator has done away with the need for a licence to offer Net telephony. From 1 April 2002, all existing Internet subscribers in the country could start making a PC-to-PC and PC-to-telephone call using any of the several Net telephony software that are available on the Net.

For Net-based phone-to-phone services, service providers will be required to engineer a separate voice over Internet protocol network. They will have to specify if their service is toll quality, or less than toll quality, and price it accordingly.
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CII sees bright future for film industry
Mumbai: The Indian film industry has the potential to contribute Rs 50,000 crore to the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) over the next three to four years, according to Confederation of Indian Industry president Sanjeev Goenka.

"We have the potential to reach the figure of Rs 50,000 crore if greater efforts are put in, besides resolving issues relating to the lack of organisation and mistrust in the sector, as a result of which it has become unwieldly," said Goenka speaking at a seminar here.

The first CII-Ernst & Young report, EnterMedia on the entertainment and media industry - 2001, was also released at the seminar. The report examines the components that make up the industry films, music, radio, television and its content, print and the Internet. CII has also tied up with Credit Ratings and Information Services of India Limited (Crisil) to grade the film industry by mid-2002.

On the recommendations for the film industry, Ernst & Youngs report calls primarily for corporatisation of the industry.
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Govt clears FDI worth Rs 75 cr
New Delhi: Commerce and industry minister Murasoli Maran has cleared 42 foreign direct investment proposals worth Rs 75 crore spanning a range of sectors.

The projects approved include a 200-million-rupee proposal by Toyota Tsusho to manufacture buses and trucks.

The minister also approved a Rs 10 cr proposal by US-based HNS India V-SAT for installation and maintenance of V-Sat equipment services in India.

Another proposal cleared involved a Rs 8.34 crore plan by the General Electric through the GE Capital services India which raises foreign equity to 100 percent from 75 percent.
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Govt gives nod to 5 firms for overseas calls
New Delhi: Five private players, including Reliance and Bharti, have been given letters of intent (LoIs) for the international long distance (ILD) services scheduled to be opened on 1 April 2002.

The other companies are Tata Internet, Connecting Network and Pacific Century.

These companies will now have to pay Rs 50 crore (Rs 25 crore upfront cash and Rs 25 crore bank guarnatee) to sign the licence agreement with the government.
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Trai reduces cellular roaming tariff
New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has announced a hefty reduction in airtime charges for roaming on cellular phones to Rs three per minute as ceiling from the existing Rs 10 per minute.

The authority has also decided that there should be no entry fee for roaming, while specifying a maximum limit of Rs 100 for monthly rental for national or regional roaming.

The new charges would be in effect from 1 March 2002.
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ONGC production declines
New Delhi: ONGC's natural gas production is likely to decline to 57.03 million standard cubic metres per day in 2006-07 from current year estimate of 65.75, according to the planning commission's working group on energy for tenth five year plan.

The gas production by private/joint venture operations is expected to increase three fold to 29.40 MMSCMD by the end of tenth plan.

Natural Gas demand would increase from 120 MMSCMD in 2001-02 to 179 MMSCMD in 2006-07.

Domestic gas production by ONGC will peak this year to 65.75 MMSCMD and steadily decline thereafter - to 65.50 MMSCMD in 2002-03, 63.37 MMSCMD in 2003-04, 62.22 MMSCMD in 2004-05, 58.83 MMSCMD in 2005-06 and to 57.03 MMSCMD in 2006-07.

Domestic gas production would increase from 81.33 MMSCMD in the current year to 94.23 MMSCMD in the terminal year of tenth five year plan period (2002-07).
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Teledensity doubled to over 4%
New Delhi: The telephone density of India had doubled over the last five years to over four per cent and could touch 11.5 per cent by the end of the next five year plan.

From less than two per cent in 1997, the telephone density has crossed four per cent and could touch 11.5 per cent by the end of another five years, communications minister Pramod Mahajan said.
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AIR unveils DTH radio service
New Delhi: All India Radio has announced the launch of direct- to-home satellite radio service that would be available in Indian sub-continent and several countries in South East Asia.

To begin with the 24-hour digital service - available from 27 February - would air a mix of news and entertainment programmes from the two FM channels FM1 and FM2.

The service can be received through a digital satellite receiver. The receivers are currently being manufactured by several international and Indian companies and come at price range between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000.
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