Indian government to introduce a second set of reforms for the Indian telecom sector.
This second set of reforms will aid the industry in doing business.
With the new reforms, the government will reduce the penalties applicable for non-compliance with the unified license (UL) rules from 50 crore to 5 crore.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working to bring new platform for academia, startups, telcos and equipment makers to discover and test new use cases and innovative solutions.
The reforms are primarily aimed at simplifying the licensing process, rationalising penalties, and quicker approval of spectrum for trial. Ashwini Vaishnaw, union IT and telecom minister of India, will announce the reforms shortly, the report added.
To speed up innovation in the industry, these reforms will play a crucial role. The government is trying to ensure that the spectrum given to the telcos or tech companies for trial purposes is done at a faster rate. This will enable the companies to test new technologies faster and bring them to the market to enhance customer experience.
The last time the government introduced reforms for the telecom sector was in 2021. With those reforms, the government tried to solve liquidity concerns of the operators, encourage investment from foreign players, and reduce the regulatory burden on the telecom players.
At present, companies have to wait around for eight weeks to get the final approval from DoT for spectrum (for trial purposes). It’s a long period and the govt is looking to trim it down. The new reforms would bring a boost to the telecom industry and enable the sector to innovate and fuel the growth of the economy.