New telecom licences as per current norms: Raja

Telecom Minister A Raja said in the Lok Sabha today that new telecom licences would be issued as per the existing policy, which does not put any restriction on the number of operators.

"We are going to issue new licences as per the new policy framed in 2003 by the group of ministers (GoM), which stated that unified access service (UAS) licences will be given without any restriction," Raja said replying to a query.

Raja's remarks assume significance as the lobby of GSM operators, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), had recently opposed the government's plan to issue new licences without guarantee of spectrum availability.

The minister said the National Telecom Policy, 1999 had the clause that new licences should not issued without ensuring spectrum availability.
The new policy in 2003 does not put any restrictions on the number of licences or spectrum availability, he said.

This would help 46 applicants, who have put in 575 applications for UAS licences, to get the licences and spectrum as and when made available.

Raja has been maintaining that there still exists potential to bring down mobile tariffs by up to 50% if more players were allowed to start services.

To another query, the minister categorically said the government has not constituted any GoM to finalise a new spectrum policy. "However, a GoM has been constituted on vacation of spectrum, and raising resources for the purpose under the chairmanship of external affairs minister," Raja said.