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The government will continue to auction telecom spectrum, and the administrative allocation route will be used sparingly, only in those cases where it is technically not feasible to do so or for areas that are strategic in nature, sources said. The Department of Telecom (DoT) is gearing up to hold the next round of spectrum auction on June 6 for eight spectrum bands (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz) meant for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. The spectrum will be assigned for 20 years and successful bidders will be allowed to make payments in 20 equal annual instalments in the coming mega auction. Sources asserted that the spectrum for mobile services will continue to be given through the auction process. As enacted in the Telecom Act, 2023, only a very limited and narrowly defined cases, including spectrum for walkie-talkie for police organisations, radar for weather forecasting, radar and communication for ships, communication for space and satellite applications, communication and radar for the Army, Air Force and Navy and state-owned telecom corporation like BSNL, airwaves will be given on administrative basis, sources said. Of the total allocations, these amount to a minuscule, just 5-7 per cent of the cases. The government had on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a modification of the 2012 order. The modification sought was to allow for administrative allocation in select cases where it is not technically feasible to use the auction route. However, for the majority of the spectrum, the auction will continue to be the mode of allocation. The matter in the Supreme Court is basically an application filed (in the apex court) following the due process before introducing the Telecom Bill in parliament, sources clarified.

The national capital witnessed a sudden change in weather on Tuesday evening, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Parts of Delhi are currently experiencing light-intensity rain and strong gusty winds after a period of warm weather.Spicejet also issued a warning for potential flight disruptions due to the sudden change in Delhi's weather on X. In its post it stated, 'Due to bad weather (heavy rain) in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may be affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via http://bit.ly/2tG9xBx.'— flyspicejet (@flyspicejet) Rainfall Forecast and Weather PatternsMeteorological phenomena such as cyclonic circulations over northeast Assam and northeast Bangladesh are influencing weather patterns, resulting in widespread light to moderate rainfall/snowfall accompanied by isolated thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds over certain regions. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim are among the areas expected to experience these weather conditions in the next few days. Isolated heavy rainfall is also predicted for Arunachal Pradesh and Assam & Meghalaya.— ANI (@ANI) Heat Wave Warning for North IndiaAdditionally, the IMD has issued a heat wave warning for north India. A persistent heat wave is anticipated to continue across east India, with a likelihood of its expansion into additional regions starting from the 24th of April. Earlier this week, maximum temperatures soared within the range of 42-45°C across much of Odisha and Rayalaseema. Similar conditions were observed in some parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, southwest Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam, where temperatures ranged between 40-42°C.Warnings and OutlookWarnings have been issued for heat waves, warm nights, and hot and humid weather conditions for the next five days. Severe heat wave conditions are expected to prevail in isolated pockets over Gangetic West Bengal, while heat wave conditions will be present in interior Karnataka, Odisha, east and west Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Jharkhand during specific periods.Temperature OutlookOver the next two days, northwest India is expected to experience minimal changes in maximum temperatures, followed by a gradual rise of 2-4°C thereafter. Similarly, Gujarat is anticipated to see no significant changes in maximum temperatures for the next three days, with an expected rise of 2-4°C thereafter. The rest of the country is likely to maintain stable maximum temperatures without any significant fluctuations.Delhi's sudden change in weather with rainfall in several parts of the city marks a significant shift in the region's weather patterns. As the IMD issues warnings for heat waves and hot weather conditions in various parts of north India, including Delhi, residents are advised to stay updated with the latest weather forecasts and take necessary precautions to stay safe during these weather conditions.

Nifty on Tuesday ended 32 points higher to reclaim its level above 20-DEMA placed at 22,309 and form a small negative candle, which is indicating ongoing range bound movement in the market.The near-term uptrend status of Nifty remains intact and the short-term trend is choppy. Further consolidation or minor dip could be a buying opportunity. A sustainable move above 22,500 could open next upside towards 22,800 levels. Immediate support is at 22,200 levels, said Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities.Analysing the Open Interest (OI) data, the highest OI on the call side was observed at the 22,500 followed by the 22,600 strike prices. Conversely, on the put side, the highest OI was recorded at the 22,100 strike price.What should traders do? Here’s what analysts said:Tejas Shah, JM Financial & BlinkXNifty is facing a lot of resilience around 22,400-500 levels for the past couple of days on an immediate basis. We need to witness a decisive close above 22,400-500 levels for further strength in Nifty or else reversal is likely from this resistance zone. Support for the Nifty is now seen at 22,200 and 21,950-22,000 levels. On the higher side, immediate resistance for Nifty is at 22,350-375 levels and the next crucial resistance is at 22,500 mark. Overall, Nifty is likely to remain volatile within the 22,000 – 22,500 range in the near term.Rupak De, LKP SecuritiesThe Relative Strength Index (RSI) is showing a bullish crossover with a reading below 60. On the higher end, the range of 22350-22400 is likely to act as a resistance zone; a decisive breakout above 22400 might trigger a rally in the market. On the lower end, support is positioned at 22250; a breach below this level might weaken the bullish sentiment.Jatin Gedia, SharekhanOn the daily chart, we can observe that the Nifty is consolidating around the 22400 mark, which coincides with the 61.82% Fibonacci retracement level of the previous fall from 22,776 to 21,777 and also the lower end of the gap area formed on the 15th of April. A brief consolidation is likely considering the sharp run-up and the hourly momentum indicator turning negative suggests that there could be a few range-bound days of price action ahead. On the upside we expect Nifty to target levels of 22,560 from a short-term perspective.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Apple's smartphone shipments in China tumbled 19% in the first quarter of the year, the worst performance since 2020, as its dominance in the high-end segment came under pressure from Huawei's [HWT.UL] new product launches, market data showed. Apple's share in the world's biggest smartphone market fell to 15.7% in the first quarter from 19.7% a year earlier. That put it almost level with Huawei, which saw sales jump 70%, according to research firm Counterpoint. Apple lost its crown as the biggest smartphone seller in China to rival Vivo, sliding to third place in the quarter, followed by Huawei whose market share jumped to 15.5% from 9.3% a year earlier. Honor, a mass market brand spun out of Huawei, was in second place. "Huawei's comeback has directly impacted Apple in the premium segment. Besides, the replacement demand for Apple has been slightly subdued compared to previous years," said Counterpoint analyst Ivan Lam in the press release. "For the second quarter, the possibility of new color options combined with aggressive sales initiatives could bring the brand back into positive territory," Lam said, adding it is seeing slow but steady improvement in weekly iPhone sales. Throughout the first quarter, Apple launched campaigns to entice consumers with discounts, including subsidizing certain iPhone models by as much as 1,300 yuan ($180). Huawei last week released its Pura 70 series of high-end phones after launching the Mate 60 series in August. The Mate 60 was seen as a comeback for the Chinese firm in the high-end market and described as a triumph over U.S. sanctions on the company, as the handsets contain an advanced China-made chip. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Sunday that the chip powering Huawei's flagship phone is not as advanced as American chips, arguing it showed U.S. curbs on shipments to the telecoms equipment giant are working. Canadian research firm TechInsights expects overall shipments in China this year to top 50 million units, including 10 million for the Pura 70 series. That would make Huawei the No. 1 seller with a 19% market share, up from 12% in 2023. In the first quarter, China's smartphone market grew 1.5%, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive growth, according to Counterpoint.