According to Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications and IT, the government does not intend to change the policy to auction spectrum for service providers, says news reports.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha as to whether the government would return to the policy of ‘first come, first serve’ for the auction of spectrum, Sibal stated that the government does not plan to change the existing policy governing auction of spectrum.
Further addressing the house, he said that between July and September, 2012, the total telecom subscriber base in the country registered a decline of 27.82 million subscribers. According to Sibal the decline in the subscriber numbers being witnessed since June 2012, is because of the removal of inactive mobile connections and high tele-density in urban areas. In fact, despite the tele-density in the country being at 680 million, about 500 million users still do not have a mobile phone.
He also admitted that owing to outdated networks of BSNL, the operator has to face connectivity issues.
