Trai proposes open bids for new mobile licences

 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has decided to propose open bids for fresh fully mobile licences as an interim measure before moving to a unified licensing regime.

 The Trai proposals, which will be discussed by a group of ministers on October 30, will suggest a six-month deadline for a unified licence regime.

 Operators will get automatic access authorisation provided they meet guidelines and pay a nominal processing fee.

 They will, however, have to apply for spectrum, which will be priced separately. The operators will also have to pay a certain part of their revenue to the government for the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund.

 The proposal, if accepted by the GoM, will give WLL operators like Reliance Infocomm and Tata Teleservices the option of bidding for fully mobile licences.

 It will also enable cellular operators, which do not have a presence in certain circles, to take part in the competitive bidding.

 Trai sources told Business Standard the regulator would have ideally liked to shift to unified licensing immediately. But some