Category: Communications

T-Mobile added fewer wireless subscribers than Wall Street expected in the first quarter as rivals dialed up promotions in a saturating US telecom market, leading to a more than 5 per cent drop in the telecom company’s shares after hours.

The report, the last among major US telecom carriers this earnings season, underscored growing competition in a market where operators are leaning on price locks and bundled offers to woo customers as US tariffs cloud the economic outlook.

Bellevue, Washington-based T-Mobile added 495,000 monthly bill-paying customers in the first three months of 2025, more than AT&T’s additions, while Verizon lost subscribers in the period after warning of a hit from “off-season promotions.”

Still, the figure fell short of FactSet estimates of 506,400 additions.

To shield its market share, T-Mobile’s prepaid unit earlier this week unveiled four new plans that provide a five-year price guarantee and monthly charges as low as $25 per line. The company also has plans to launch its satellite-to-cell service, powered by SpaceX’s Starlink, in July.

The final pricing for the satellite service would be $10 a month — down from the $15 monthly price it had announced in February — and T-Mobile will maintain that price for at least a year, CEO Mike Sievert said on a call with analysts.

On the tariffs front, Sievert said that T-Mobile is currently not seeing any material impact to its business.

If the tariffs lead to price increases for mobile handsets, customers would have to bear it, which could lead to a slowdown in upgrade rates, he added.

In the first quarter, T-Mobile’s revenue fell 4.5 per cent to $20.89 billion, but came above expectations of $20.62 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

T-Mobile reaffirmed its annual wireless subscriber forecast, expecting it to be between 5.5 million and 6 million.

It also increased its 2025 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) forecast to range between $33.2 billion and $33.7 billion, from its prior projection of $33.1 billion to $33.6 billion.

Analysts, on average, expect adjusted EBITDA of $33.4 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Reuters

Jefferies picked Bharti Airtel as its top pick for the telecom sector, as it led the active subscribers base, gaining a market share of 30 basis points to 36.3%, which was better than its peers, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio.

Jefferies on Bharti Airtel: Gain in active subscribers key positive
In January 2025, the overall industry’s active subscriber base jumped by 5 million month-on-month to 1,065 million. Out of this, Bharti Airtel gained 4.7 million active subscribers, which Jefferies believes to be a key positive. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea’s active subscribers dropped by 0.7 million, and Jio’s share remained flat.

Jefferies on Bharti Airtel: Reported subscribers increased
The January 2025, Bharti Airtel’s reported subscriber base rose by 1.7 million, and Jio added 0.7 million subscribers. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea lost 1.3 million subscribers. The sector’s reported subscriber base increased by 0.6 million in January 2025, post the 2 million jump in December 2024. The industry’s reported subscriber base increased for 2 straight months after 5 months of decline post the tariff hikes in July 2024.

The sector’s MNP (Mobile Number Portability) requests remained elevated at 14 million in January 2025, which inched up sequentially, possibly as users continue to shift between operators post-tariff hike, said Jefferies. “We note that MNP requests have remained elevated, and higher churn usually drives up dealer commissions/SG&A expenses for telcos,” added Jefferies.

An MNP (Mobile Number Portability) is a request by a subscriber to change their mobile service provider while keeping their existing phone number. This allows users to switch operators without the hassle of changing their number.

Bharti Airtel stock performance
The share price of Bharti Airtel has risen 2.75% in the last five trading days. The stock has given a return of more than 7% in the last one month and 9.5% in the past six months. Bharti Airtel’s share price has increased by almost 38% over the previous one year. Financial Express

Following the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) declining any further time extension for a key certification required for operating CCTV cameras, several Chinese and medium & small-scale Indian players that rely on Chinese sourcing are staring at an uncertain future. Many CCTV manufacturers and vendors earlier met with IT ministry officials to request an extension of the deadline for obtaining the Standardization Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), which was introduced in March 2024 for CCTV players.

With over 80 percent of surveillance products in the country relying on Chinese components and cloud infrastructure, this move is expected to have a significant impact on the demand-supply chain, experts said.

They further added that many low-cost CCTV camera operators may struggle to comply with the certification requirements and will likely require significant investment to develop new products that meet these requirements.

The Federation of All India Information Technology Associations (FAIITA), in a recent letter, sought the intervention of Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and warned that the new STQC requirement puts over 1,000 MSME units in the CCTV manufacturing sector at risk of closure.

“With over 1,000 MSME factories at risk of closure, the livelihoods of more than 4,00,000 individuals are hanging in the balance. The current challenges — including rising production costs, supply chain disruptions and stringent compliance requirements — are exacerbated by the difficulties in meeting STQC standards without adequate technological support,” the body said.

However, TEMA, a body representing telecom and ICT products, supported the Meity decision. VAR India

VC funding in the AI sector started strong in 2025, carrying forward impressive momentum from 2024. During the first three months of the year, AI companies and startups raised tens of billions of dollars in funding rounds, proving investor confidence in the sector remains strong.

According to data presented by Stocklytics.com, AI startups secured $22.3 billion in Q1, the second-highest quarterly total on record.

VC Funding Surges, Nearly Doubling in a Year
Despite high interest rates, economic slowdown, stricter regulations on big tech and AI, Trump’s tariff policies, and global trade wars, AI continues to outperform nearly every other area of the tech sector, both in market forecast and VC investments.

Huge investments in key companies like Elon Musk’s xAI, which is in talks to raise $10 billion, and Figure AI, negotiating $1.5 billion, alongside new AI applications like Meta’s AI-powered humanoid division, have sparked an even bigger investor interest. At the same time, investors have shifted focus to practical AI solutions, pressuring startups to accelerate AI development. This perfect storm of events has resulted in one of the strongest first quarters this market has ever seen.

According to Crunchbase data, AI companies raised $22.3 billion in Q1, nearly double the money raised in the first three months of last year. Moreover, this is the second-highest quarterly figure on record, trailing only the $35.7 billion raised in Q4 last year. To put this figure into perspective, it took only 90 days of 2025 for AI startups to raise 70% of the value VC investors poured into this market throughout 2022 and 2023. With this pace of investment, 2025 is on track to outperform a record set in 2024, the best year for AI startup funding so far. During the twelve months, VC investors poured nearly $90 billion into the market, a record that could be broken as early as this year.

AI Funding Surpasses IT by 30% and Fintech by Nearly 3x
AI startups` funding is also quite impressive when compared to other sectors that also attract significant VC investments. In Q1, AI startups raised nearly three times more money than fintech startups ($8.5 billion), 30% more than IT startups ($17 billion), and $6 billion less than the biotech sector ($28.8 billion).

With $22.3 billion of fresh capital injected into the AI startup market in Q1 and another $2.5 billion in the three weeks of Q2, the total amount raised by these companies has surged to over $300 billion. Nearly 80% of that value, or $238 billion, was raised in the past four years.

Statistics show U.S. startups lead in total funding, with $205 billion raised to date. Asian AI startups raised only one-quarter of that value, $52.1 billion, while European companies follow with $35.1 billion. Stocklytics

Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2033,” valued at $33.9 billion in 2023. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.8% from 2024 to 2033, reaching $165.4 billion by 2033, according to Allied Market Research.

The open-source services market is experiencing substantial growth, driven by rise in the adoption of technology. Companies are using open-source services for IT infrastructure modernization, application development, digital transformation, and integration owing to rise in the availability of open-source platforms and growth in tech-savvy population, the global open-source services market is expected to grow notably. Cost-effectiveness, enhanced security, and improved quality are some of the factors that are further supporting the growth of the global open-source services market all over the world. However, the hidden costs associated with the OSS integration and implementation along with exploitation caused due to the advent of malicious users are expected to hinder the market growth.

Market Highlights
By service, the managed service segment dominated the market in 2023 and is expected to continue leading due to increase in demand for third-party expertise, cost efficiency, enhanced security, and scalability, helping businesses optimize open-source software adoption and management effectively.

By deployment mode, the on-premise segment dominated the market in 2023 and is expected to continue leading due to greater data security, regulatory compliance, enhanced control over infrastructure, and preference among enterprises with strict data governance policies.
By Enterprise Size, the large enterprises segment witnessed significant growth due to increasing adoption of open-source solutions for cost efficiency, scalability, enhanced security, and flexibility, enabling businesses to drive innovation and optimize IT infrastructure.

By Industry Vertical, the IT and telecommunication segment dominated the market in 2023 and is expected to continue leading due to rise in demand for scalable infrastructure, cost-effective solutions, enhanced security, and the need for continuous innovation in cloud computing and network management. Allied Market Research

Florida sued Snap, the owner of photo-sharing app Snapchat, accusing it of illegally employing features that addict children and opening accounts for children age 13 and younger.

The complaint said Snapchat features including infinite scrolling, push notifications, auto-play videos, and metrics that provide user feedback violate a 2024 state law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, and designed to protect children’s mental health from compulsive social media exposure.

Florida called Snap’s conduct “particularly egregious” because the Santa Monica, California-based company markets Snapchat as safe for 13-year-olds though it can be used to view pornography and buy drugs, among other harmful activities.

By failing to remove 13-year-old users and require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-old users, “Snap is actively deceiving Florida parents about the risks of allowing their teens to access this platform,” the complaint said.

The complaint was announced by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and filed in a Santa Rosa County state court, in the state’s panhandle. Uthmeier and DeSantis are Republicans.

In a statement, Snap said Florida’s law infringes the First Amendment constitutional rights of adults and children.

Snap also said there are “more privacy-conscious solutions” at the operating system, app store and device level to address online safety and age verification.

Two technology industry trade groups, NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, are challenging the Florida law’s constitutionality in the federal court in Tallahassee, the state’s capital. Yahoo Finance

The Delhi High Court (HC) has issued a notice to the government and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) after LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd and Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd filed petitions against a recent policy requiring electronics manufacturers to pay more to electronic waste (e-waste) recyclers, court documents showed Tuesday.

The division bench of chief justice Devendra Upadhyaya and justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the parties to file their responses, with the next hearing scheduled for 16 May.

The plea filed by LG Electronics in the Delhi HC, as seen by Mint, challenges the constitutional validity of amendments notified in September 2024 under the E-Waste Management Rules, 2022.

India, currently the world’s third-largest e-waste generator, only formally recycled 43% of its e-waste last year, according to government data.

In its plea, LG contends that the pricing rules “fail to take into consideration that merely fleecing companies and taxing them in the name of the ‘polluter pays principle’ will not achieve the government’s objectives.”

LG’s main concern is that the rules impose unreasonable financial obligations on companies without adequate justification. The mandatory payments to recyclers, particularly the increased costs of compliance, are seen as disproportionate and harmful to business profitability.

A major issue raised by LG is the arbitrary fixation of prices for EPR certificates. LG argues that these prices, significantly higher than previous years, lack a scientific basis and market analysis. The absence of clear guidelines for these prices creates ambiguity and makes it difficult for companies to comply.

Furthermore, LG has criticized the rules for linking financial burdens to environmental compensation (EC) for non-compliance with EPR obligations. This, they argue, could result in excessive penalties for minor delays, creating financial challenges and potentially crippling companies, especially small producers.

Another point of contention is the exclusion of the informal sector from the e-waste recycling framework. LG stresses that the informal sector handles a significant portion of recycling in India, and its exclusion undermines efforts to address the e-waste problem comprehensively. They advocate for a balanced approach that integrates both formal and informal recycling methods.

According to Markets and Data, India’s e-waste management market size was valued at $1.56 billion in fiscal year 2023 (FY23), which is expected to swell to $3.35 billion in FY31. India ranks as the world’s third-largest e-waste producer after the US and China. In 2022, India generated approximately 1.6 million tonnes of electronic waste, which is likely to surge to 29 million tonnes by 2030.

LG also raised concerns about the lack of consultation with industry stakeholders during the drafting of the amended rules. They argue that producers’ concerns were not sufficiently addressed, resulting in a regulatory framework that does not align with the practical realities of e-waste management.

Samsung Electronics and other companies, such as Indian air conditioner maker Blue Star, have also filed lawsuits challenging the rules, citing similar concerns over the compliance burdens.

India’s E-Waste Management rules were first introduced in 2016, making producers responsible for e-waste disposal. In 2022, the Union ministry of environment began revising these rules to address growing e-waste challenges.

A draft for public consultation was released in November 2022, followed by the final amendments in April 2023. The updated rules, enforced in September 2024, introduced new recycling targets, penalties, and the minimum payout to recyclers, which led to the legal challenges. LiveMint

Srinagar, Troops deployed in some of the world’s most inhospitable terrains including Galwan and Siachen Glacier can now stay connected with their loved ones as the Army has facilitated reliable high-speed mobile connectivity across the Ladakh region.

In a transformative stride towards bridging the digital divide and empowering remote communities, the Indian Army has facilitated unprecedented mobile connectivity across the remote and high-altitude areas of Ladakh, including forward locations in eastern Ladakh, western Ladakh and the Siachen Glacier, Army officials said.

They said for the first time ever, troops deployed in some of the world’s most inhospitable terrains such as DBO, Galwan, Demchok, Chumar, Batalik, Dras and the Siachen Glacier now have access to reliable 4G and 5G mobile connectivity.

This initiative has proved to be a major morale-booster for soldiers serving in isolated winter cut-off posts at altitudes above 18,000 feet, allowing them to stay connected with their families and loved ones, the officials said.

The pioneering effort has been made possible through a collaborative approach under the Whole-of-Government framework, wherein the Indian Army leveraging its robust optical fibre cable infrastructure has partnered with Telecom Service Providers and the UT administration of Ladakh, they added.

The Fire and Fury Corps has played a leading role in enabling this synergy, resulting in the installation of multiple mobile towers on Army infrastructure, including four key towers in Ladakh and Kargil districts alone, the Army officials said.

The impact of this initiative extends far beyond troop welfare. It is a significant nation-building endeavour that is transforming the socio-economic fabric of remote border villages. By integrating ‘First Villages’ into the national digital network, this effort is bridging the digital divide, boosting local economies, promoting border tourism, enhancing medical aid and emergency services, and enabling educational access.

A particularly historic milestone was the successful installation of a 5G mobile tower on the Siachen Glacier the highest battlefield in the world showcasing India’s technological prowess and resolve, they said.

The officials said local populations have welcomed this initiative with overwhelming gratitude. Mobile connectivity is not just a communication tool, it is now a lifeline for remote communities, fostering inclusion, opportunity and dignity.

This visionary initiative by the Indian Army stands as a testament to its enduring commitment to national integration and development, echoing the spirit of ‘Viksit Bharat’ – India@2047, the officials added. Hindustan Times

Indian IT services firms are moving beyond AI hype to make it a core business strategy. While early initiatives often served as marketing optics, recent commentary reveals a marked shift toward tangible investments in AI talent, domain-specific solutions, and client-focused innovation. Generative AI, conversational AI, and productivity-focused solutions dominate today, especially in BFSI, healthcare, and retail, with agentic AI emerging as the next frontier.

IT services giants like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro also made significant bets on AI in their Q4FY25 commentary, securing multiple deals in the space.

Wipro CEO & MD Srini Pallia during the Q4 Earnings Conference Call, shared the company’s clients responded well to its consulting-led AI-powered industry and cross-industry solutions, reflected in the growth in top accounts and large deal bookings in FY25.

In Q4, the company closed 17 large deals with a total value of $1.8 billion across markets and sectors, and 63 large deals for full FY25 at a value of $5.4 billion and a 17.5% growth YoY.

“We are applying whatever GenAI benefits are relevant to our customers. In many cases, as customer budgets free up, we can use GenAI and get some additional work done for them. That could also offset some revenue drops. We continue to infuse GenAI into managed services, deals, and other opportunities with our existing clients, and leverage it to look at new revenue streams. So it is not just operating or developing better for clients using GenAI but also changing the game for them.”

TCS CEO K Krithivasan also noted during the Q4 Earnings Conference Call that the company’s pipeline of AI, and GenAI engagement is higher than in the last few quarters, with a significant increase in deal wins across AI for IT and business.

There is an increasing demand for GenAI use cases in contracts management, sales campaigns, content creation, customer servicing, and tech support among others. Alongside, the propensity to roll out more GenAI use cases to production is increasing, and the organizational barriers witnessed earlier are diminishing. He also pointed out the maturity in the request for GenAI pilots with a sharper focus on business outcomes rather than mere experimentation.

“The AI push by Indian IT services firms is increasingly becoming a strategic pivot and not just a marketing play. While early efforts may have leaned more on narrative, we now see serious investments in AI talent, domain-focused solutions, and client-centric innovation. The shift is real—but uneven across the industry. The leaders are separating themselves by embedding AI into core service lines, not just front-end showcases,” Dikshant Dave, Co-founder & CEO, of Zigment AI, explained.

While most firms continue relying heavily on third-party platforms or open-source LLMs, proprietary AI platforms are still nascent. However, some green shoots are emerging in sector-specific copilots, internal developer tools, and IP-led automation, all crucial for differentiation going forward.

Global players like Accenture or IBM may have a longer legacy in AI R&D and industry-specific solutions, but Indian companies are catching up fast by leveraging their strong engineering base, cost advantage, and experience in managing scale, observed Jaspreet Bindra, the co-founder of AI&Beyond. This shift is aided by proactive investment in AI platforms, partnerships with hyperscalers, and GenAI integration into service offerings.

“That said, most AI adoption by clients is still happening as part of broader digital transformation mandates rather than standalone AI engagements. Clients often look to Indian firms to modernise their tech stack, improve efficiencies, or build new digital experiences—with AI becoming a powerful enabler in that journey. Key challenges lie in operationalising AI at scale—ensuring model governance, data quality, ethical use, and measurable business outcomes. Indian IT firms must also build deeper domain-specific AI capabilities and IP to stay competitive,” Bindra noted. The Hindu BusinessLine

Exciting new Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) devices tend to steal the spotlight, but often the supporting platforms for those devices are of equal or greater importance; according to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the competitive landscape for Extended Reality (XR) platforms will see shifts in major players, key partners, and enabling technologies over the next five years.

“After a handful of stops and starts for the XR market over the past decade, there are a few key drivers that are accelerating growth today: major players are more established, the popularity of no-display smart glasses, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) broadly enabling new use cases while improving existing applications,” says Eric Abbruzzese, XR Markets and Technologies Research Director at ABI Research. “The XR platform, including hardware, software, and services, will grow and mature to support an expected increase of users and use cases across market segments.”

XR devices, including AR smart glasses and VR headsets, are expected to grow over the next five years. ABI Research estimates more than 80 million shipments by 2030 across these categories. The newest device type included in this forecast is the “no-display smart glass”, often called AI glasses, thanks to its focus on enabling AI interaction; these devices are expected to grow at a 48% CAGR through 2030. Meta Ray Ban is the most well-known and successful product in this category today, though competitors are expected.

“To support these devices, the enabling elements attached to them—be it operating systems, content stores, developer communities, or key technology components—will grow in kind,” Abbruzzese explains. Meta, Apple, and Google are positioned as technology incumbents, each with end-to-end platforms that include all these elements. They will work to strengthen XR as a standalone product within their portfolio and weave XR into other relevant offerings where possible. Others will operate as partners, such as Samsung as a hardware OEM, or Mediatek and Qualcomm as chipset partners, and combine for a cohesive XR offering.

XR hardware, Operating Systems (OS), content, and development platforms are key segments where platform differentiation and advancement will be most impactful. “An open relationship between these segments across the entire XR ecosystem is critical. Siloed platforms will be increasingly difficult to scale successfully, with the market instead favoring cross-platform and hardware-agnostic approaches and open-source technologies and solutions when possible. This will force companies to deliver on a wider swath of product and portfolio elements so that partnerships will be key,” Abbruzzese concludes. ABI Research