Telecom commission okays higher Budget allocation for Defence Network

The telecom commission approved a higher budget allocation for Network for Spectrum (NFS), or defence network, of Rs 24,664 crore as part of multiple decisions taken on Tuesday.

The project cost was Rs11,330 crore earlier.“It was decided that cost should be revised and that the work on the network should be expedited. This will go to the Cabinet for approval,” a senior DoT official said.

Among other decisions that TC approved, were issuing Category B, or district level, licence for virtual network operators (VNOs) and approving Trai recommendations that included a licence period of 10 years at an entry fee of Rs 1.65 lakh and limiting the licence scope to wireline services, the official added.


Other proposals approved include providing WiFi hotspots in three states —UP, Rajasthan and Himachal — as part of BharatNet project. It also decided to enhance network in the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.