Telecom FDI revision likely by early Jan

Revision in the 2005 policy for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector, if any, is likely to be announced on or before January 2 next year,  information and technology minister Dayanidhi Maran said in the Lok Sabha today.

The government had notified the policy for enhancement of FDI ceiling from 49% to 74% in the telecom sector on November 3, 2005 which also stipulates certain conditions for addressing security concerns, Maran said in reply to questions.

A number of representations have been received from various stakeholders seeking relaxation of some of the conditions in the interest of sustained growth of the telecom sector and the IT sector which is dependent on telecom infrastructure, he said.

These representations are under consideration of the government, the minister said.

He said the representations are being examined through inter-ministerial consultations.