Airtel
Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, on Friday denied any breach of its systems following reports of an alleged security lapse that has caused concern among its customers. The telecom group,…
Google partners with Airtel to offer cloud and GenAI products to Indian businesses
Airtel, India’s second-largest telco, is partnering with Google Cloud to develop and deliver cloud and GenAI solutions to Indian businesses.
Telecom companies in India want tech firms to pay for network usage
Telecom operators in India, the second largest wireless market, would like internet companies to compensate for using their networks, a recommendation they’ve made to the local regulatory body, echoing a…
Airtel is engaging with Paytm to explore sale of the Airtel Payments Bank business in exchange for shares in the younger financial services firm, according to two people familiar with…
India’s Jio says it has rolled out 5G to over 100 cities in 100 days
Jio Platforms said on Wednesday it has rolled out 5G to 101 cities in just as many days as the Indian telecom giant looks to court customers aggressively with faster…
Reliance Jio to spend $25B on 5G rollout, debut in October and reach every town by 2023 end
Reliance Jio Infocomm, India’s top telecom mobile operator, has earmarked a spending of $25 billion on the rollout of its 5G services that it plans to debut in key cities…
Ambani’s Reliance Jio top buyer in India’s $19 billion 5G sale
Telecom operators in India agreed to spend $19 billion in the government auction for the 5G airwaves, New Delhi said Monday, the highest from them in any spectrum sale, as…
India receives $18 billion bids for 5G auction, expects rollout in September
India received bids worth $18 billion on the first day of an auction for the 5G airwaves from tycoons including Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani as the race begins for…
Nigeria’s CredPal secures $15M in debt and equity to scale its BNPL product across Africa
The adoption of buy now, pay later (BNPL) in Nigeria as a payment option both online and at the point of sale is expected to record a CAGR of 20%…
Airtel said on Monday it is launching a credit card, the latest attempt from the Google-backed Indian telecom operator to make inroads with financial services as it looks to expand…
Daily Crunch: Google will offer G Suite legacy edition users a ‘no-cost option’
Hello friends and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
India to own 35.8% in Vodafone Idea after conversion of dues
Vodafone Idea said on Tuesday it is giving the Indian government a 35.8% stake in the company after its board approved conversion of dues and spectrum auction installments into equity…
WhatsApp and other social media platforms restricted in Zambia amidst ongoing elections
Several users from Zambia have taken to Twitter informing the general public that WhatsApp has been restricted in the country amidst ongoing general elections today. The president and parliamentary elections…
China expresses concern over its absence in India’s 5G trials
China expressed concern on Wednesday over India’s move to not grant any Chinese firm permission to participate in 5G trials in the world’s second-largest internet market as the two neighboring…
India grants approval for 5G trials, avoids Chinese firms
The Indian telecom ministry on Tuesday said it has granted several telecom service providers permission to conduct a six-month trial for the use and application of 5G technology in the…
Kenya’s Ajua acquires WayaWaya to consolidate consumer experience play in African SMEs
Kenyan consumer experience platform for businesses in Africa, Ajua today announced that it has acquired WayaWaya, a Kenya-based AI and ML messaging and payments company. WayaWaya’s customers and partners include…
India’s Razorpay raises funds at $3 billion valuation ahead of Southeast Asia launch
Six-year-old Bangalore-based fintech Razorpay topped a $1 billion valuation late last year, becoming the first Y Combinator-backed Indian startup to reach the much sought-after unicorn status. In less than six…
Airtel Africa sells $200M mobile money business stake to TPG’s Rise Fund
In February, London-listed telecom Airtel Africa said it was looking to sell a minority stake in its mobile money business in a bid to raise cash and sell off some…
Reliance’s Jio Platforms says it will roll out 5G in second half of 2021
Reliance’s Jio Platforms, the largest telecom operator in India, plans to roll out a 5G network in the country in the second half of 2021, top executive Mukesh Ambani announced…
Singapore-based sales productivity platform Nektar raises $2.15 million seed round
Singapore-based Nektar.ai, a productivity platform for sales teams, has raised $2.15 million in seed funding. Founded earlier this year, Nektar has been working in stealth mode with five companies, and…
India’s Razorpay becomes unicorn after new $100 million funding round
Bangalore-headquartered Razorpay, one of a handful of Indian fintech startups that has demonstrated accelerated growth in recent years, has joined the coveted unicorn club after raising $100 million in a…
Indian telecom giant Vodafone Idea rebrands as ‘Vi’
Vodafone Idea, one of the largest telecom operators in India, has rebranded as ‘Vi’ as it looks for a “fresh start” three years after the British telecom giant Vodafone Group’s India…
Amazon has found a new partner to expand the reach of its cloud services business — AWS — in India, the world’s second largest internet market. On Wednesday, the e-commerce…
Bharti Airtel announced on Tuesday it has partnered with Verizon* to launch BlueJeans video-conferencing service in India to serve business customers in the world’s second largest internet market. The video…
Google and Microsoft reportedly considering stakes in telecom firms in India after Facebook deal
Weeks after Facebook acquired a 9.9% stake in India’s Reliance Jio Platforms, two more American firms are reportedly interested in the Indian telecom market. Google is considering buying a stake…
Vista Equity Partners to invest $1.5B in India’s Reliance Jio Platforms
Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners said on Friday it will invest $1.5 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms, joining social conglomerate Facebook and Silver Lake that have also made bets on…
Streaming service Hooq shuts down, ends partnerships with Disney’s Hotstar, Grab and others
Hooq, a five-year-old on-demand video streaming service that aimed to become “Netflix for Southeast Asia,” has shut down weeks after filing for liquidation and terminated its partnerships with Disney’s Hotstar,…
Facebook in talks to acquire stake in top Indian telco Reliance Jio, report says
Reliance Jio, a three-and-a-half-year-old subsidiary of India’s most valued firm Reliance Industries, may have attracted the attention of an American giant: Facebook. The social conglomerate is in talks to acquire…
Telecom operators in India warn people of coronavirus outbreak, share tips
Telecom operators in India have started to warn users of Covid-19 spread after more than three dozen cases have been detected in the nation. Subscribers of Reliance Jio, Airtel, and…
AWS partners with Kenya’s Safaricom on cloud and consulting services
Amazon Web Services has entered a partnership with Safaricom — Kenya’s largest telco, ISP and mobile payment provider — in a collaboration that could spell competition between American cloud providers…
