New set of licence, spectrum allocation norms in 10 days
IT minister A Raja said that the department of telecom (DoT) is currently looking into guidelines related to spectrum allocation and financial issues such as net worth of the applicant for the purpose of providing new licences.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The government will finalise the new set of guidelines for issuing licences and allocating spectrum for future telecom players within the next 10 days, said communication and IT minister A Raja on Thursday. Mr Raja also said that when the government allocates fresh spectrum, existing operators, licence holders and fresh applicants would be dealt with separately.
“The committee set up for the purpose would submit its report in next few days with its recommendations for putting in place fresh guidelines as per which new telecom licences would be issued,” Mr Raja told reporters at the sidelines of a seminar organised by industry body Assocham.
The minister also said that the department of telecom (DoT) is currently looking into guidelines related to spectrum allocation and financial issues such as net worth of the applicant for the purpose of providing new licences. So far, the government has received over 300 applications from 30 companies.
On the issue of restricting number of players in a circle Mr Raja said: “The operators are also not in favour of capping the number of players in a circle. For allocating spectrum, existing operators, licence holders and fresh applicants would be dealt with separately.”
The minister also said that the government would provide connectivity to 14,183 remote far flung villages through satellite phone terminals while adding that the Universal Obligation Fund would be used for meeting the operational expenditure.
Speaking on the occasion, DoT secretary DS Mathur also announced that DoT would shortly identify 10,000 sites for setting up communication towers that would provide 25 million telephone connections to rural India in the second phase. In the third phase, another 35 million telephone connections would be provided, he added.
The government has already identified 7,871 sites for building towers to provide telephone connectivity in rural areas under its USO fund in the first phase in which private and public sector telecom players would be allowed to share the government infrastructure built by DoT.
“The committee set up for the purpose would submit its report in next few days with its recommendations for putting in place fresh guidelines as per which new telecom licences would be issued,” Mr Raja told reporters at the sidelines of a seminar organised by industry body Assocham.
The minister also said that the department of telecom (DoT) is currently looking into guidelines related to spectrum allocation and financial issues such as net worth of the applicant for the purpose of providing new licences. So far, the government has received over 300 applications from 30 companies.
On the issue of restricting number of players in a circle Mr Raja said: “The operators are also not in favour of capping the number of players in a circle. For allocating spectrum, existing operators, licence holders and fresh applicants would be dealt with separately.”
The minister also said that the government would provide connectivity to 14,183 remote far flung villages through satellite phone terminals while adding that the Universal Obligation Fund would be used for meeting the operational expenditure.
Speaking on the occasion, DoT secretary DS Mathur also announced that DoT would shortly identify 10,000 sites for setting up communication towers that would provide 25 million telephone connections to rural India in the second phase. In the third phase, another 35 million telephone connections would be provided, he added.
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The government has already identified 7,871 sites for building towers to provide telephone connectivity in rural areas under its USO fund in the first phase in which private and public sector telecom players would be allowed to share the government infrastructure built by DoT.
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