GoM clears single licence regime

New Delhi: The Group of Ministers (GoM) which was constituted to resolve contentious issues in the telecom sector has approved in toto the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to usher in a unified licensing regime for cellular and basic (including limited mobility) services, including the additional entry fees and penalties suggested.

Briefing newspersons after the meeting, the Union Communications Minister, Mr Arun Shourie, noted that a Cabinet note on the proposals will be prepared which will be submitted for a meeting on Friday. Once the Cabinet approval is taken, it will only be a matter of time before the new regime is ushered in, he said.

In other words, basic operators such as Reliance and Tata Teleservcies can migrate to a unified licence and offer full mobility on their WLL services by paying an entry fee of Rs 1,096 crore and Rs 545 crore respectively. What is more, Reliance also has to pay a penalty of Rs 485 crore for allowing call forwarding and multiple registration to their existing WLL subscribers. Under the new regime, however, if the subscribers want to continue with their WLL service at the existing rates, they should be allowed to do so.