The Telecom Commission has recommended a uniform licence fee of 8 per cent as against the existing 6-10 per cent, depending upon type of service and circle.
According to R. Chandrasekhar, secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the universal licence fee will be implemented in two phases over two years.
Prior to this, the telecom industry was demanding a lower licence fee of 6 per cent of adjusted gross revenues (AGR), while the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended 8 per cent of AGR.
Besides, the Telecom Commission also decided that a one-time charge for extra spectrum, held by incumbent GSM operators, will not be ruled out.
TRAI had recommended that each Mhz of additional spectrum, after the 6.2 MHz limit held by operators, should have a one-time cost of Rs 45.71 billion for all of India.
However, the amount to be levied on the operators was not disclosed.
The Commission has also recommended that in the future, additional spectrum will be allotted through the auction route.
