DoT to rework spectrum charges; operators may have to pay more
There has been demand that spectrum charges beyond 10 MHz should be increased to 10 per cent of a firm's revenues. Cellphone etiquettes!
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Mobile operators may have to pay higher yearly fees to the government for airwaves with Communication Minister A Raja on Thursday asking the Telecom Commission to review the annual spectrum charges being paid by service providers as licence fee.
Raja's direction comes within a day of accepting TRAI's subscriber-linked criteria for allotment of additional spectrum to existing GSM players. The Commission has been asked to give its recommendations within 15 days.
"Since it has been decided to accept TRAI subscriber base for allocation of additional spectrum, a decision needs to be taken on spectrum charges," Raja said in a note to Telecom Commission Chairman D S Mathur.
Sources said operators may be asked to pay higher charges for spectrum beyond a particular level. There has been demand that spectrum charges beyond 10 MHz should be increased to 10 per cent of a firm's revenues.
Telecom regulator TRAI had in August recommended that spectrum charges in terms of percentage of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) may be enhanced. However, a decision on this was to be taken after finalising the subscriber linked criteria.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently said that there was need for maximising revenue from telecom sector without creating entry barriers and compromising on growth.
Raja's direction comes within a day of accepting TRAI's subscriber-linked criteria for allotment of additional spectrum to existing GSM players. The Commission has been asked to give its recommendations within 15 days.
"Since it has been decided to accept TRAI subscriber base for allocation of additional spectrum, a decision needs to be taken on spectrum charges," Raja said in a note to Telecom Commission Chairman D S Mathur.
Sources said operators may be asked to pay higher charges for spectrum beyond a particular level. There has been demand that spectrum charges beyond 10 MHz should be increased to 10 per cent of a firm's revenues.
Telecom regulator TRAI had in August recommended that spectrum charges in terms of percentage of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) may be enhanced. However, a decision on this was to be taken after finalising the subscriber linked criteria.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently said that there was need for maximising revenue from telecom sector without creating entry barriers and compromising on growth.
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RCom slaps legal notice on DoT
Unhappy over Communication Ministry's decision to allot addition spectrum based on regulator TRAI's formula, CDMA mobile operator Reliance Communications on Thursday served a legal notice to the government to freeze allocation of airwaves to existing players.
The notice came in the wake of government accepting TRAI's recommendations to award spectrum to mobile operators and deciding to file an affidavit in the Delhi High Court.
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RCom also said the government should enforce Telecom Engineering Center's proposed subscriber base for allocation of spectrum, which was earlier accepted by DoT 'in-principle'. TEC norms were much more stringent than those proposed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. TEC had raised subscriber base by up to 15 times while TRAI had suggested up to six times increase in the users base.
The notice has been filed to ensure that excess spectrum held by GSM operators is being returned, RCom said in a statement. It said GSM operators should immediately return over 50 MHz of spectrum being hoarded by them free of cost and beyond their entitlement of 6.2 MHz.
RCom had yesterday said the government's decision to accept TRAI's norms for allotment of additional spectrum tantamount to succumbing to the pressure tactics of GSM lobby.
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