Govt may charge Rs 4,000-cr one-time levy for extra spectrum

NEW DELHI: The Government may charge a one-time fee of Rs 4,000 crore for additional spectrum, Telecom Minister A Raja said today.

"The Telecom Commission will meet next week to decide on the one-time fee on spectrum beyond 6.2 Mhz. It could be Rs 4,000 crore. The Commission will also discuss the hike in fee by 1-2 per cent of mobile operators' revenue for using additional airwaves. In all, the Government may get an additional Rs 5,000 crore towards increased spectrum charges," he said.

The Commission will decide when the increase will take effect. One per cent of the telcos' adjusted gross revenue will be charged for spectrum up to 8 Mhz and two per cent for spectrum up to 10 Mhz. This will affect all leading telecom operators, including the leading player Bharti Airtel and rivals Reliance Communications and Idea Cellular.
The decision was taken after he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday, Raja said. It is in line with a recommendation the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India made earlier this year.