Telecom Bill 2023, a watershed moment in reforms process: Vi CEO Moondra

Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra has welcomed the rationalisation of penalties and legal enforceability of right of way (RoW) provisions in the new telecom bill, calling the legislation a watershed moment in India’s telecom reforms process.

“The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, represents a watershed moment in the telecom reform process and reaffirms the commitment of the government to provide Indian telecom with a future-fit framework that helps achieve the growth aspirations of a new India,” Moondra said in an official statement Tuesday.

He added that the new bill carries “several forward-looking provisions” that will help deliver the benefits of digital connectivity to all citizens.


The bill, he said, rightly recognises telecom as a “critical infrastructure” and prescribes punitive consequences for those damaging it. “By highlighting the duties of users, the Bill puts equal responsibility on consumers to meet the requirements of national security.”

The government had on Monday introduced the Telecommunications Bill 2023 in the Lok Sabha on in a landmark move to replace three archaic telecom laws. The new bill has removed OTT services and apps from the definition of telecom services and called for administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, ruling out auctions of such airwaves.