Just days after directives from TRAI to flush out inactive ISPs, You Telecom funded by Citigrouphas announced that it has acquired IceNet ISP in Gujarat. You Telecom is a National level Broadband ISP with 0.15 Million subscribers. IceNet which offered services using cable [just like Sify] had mere 3,500 subscribers.
Chirag Mehta of IceNet said,
I am very happy that Icenet is merging into a larger entity having a national footprint and larger resource pool. I am confident that IceNet and You Telecom will take the business to new heights.
With the acquisition of IceNet, You Telecom gets to establish its presence in Ahmedabad, Baroda and Rajkot.
Telecom to get Core Infrastructure Status
At last the Finance Ministry is listening to Telecom operators woes. It is reliably learnt that Telecom will be treated at par with core infrastructure like Power and Roads in the upcoming budget on Feb-28th. The significance of this will be Telcos will get a 10 year 100% tax exemption which will enable them to upgrade and invest in remote areas. The government is already being compensated for loss of revenues by means of service taxes from consumers. Zero tax for Telcos/Cellcos means more investments in next generation technologies. Get ready to watch the next cricket match on your cell phone – true convergence at last.
