Trai dials DoT, seeks package for stressed telecom firms

The telecom sector recently had several meetings with the govt to get a breather

The telecom sector regulator has come to the rescue of financially strained telcos with a proposal to reduce goods and services tax (GST) rate on the industry to 5 per cent from the current 18 per cent by declaring it a core infrastructure industry and also increasing the deferred payment installments for spectrum to 18 years.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman R S Sharma had met the chief executive officers of telecom firms on June 15 to deliberate on the financial stress in the sector and the authority has now submitted its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications