The government is scheduled to introduce the Draft Indian Telecommunications Bill 2023 in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 2023. As per a Lok Sabha bulletin, the President of India has recommended the introduction of the bill in the house under Article 117 (1) of the constitution.
According to industry sources, the new bill has removed over-the-top (OTT) services and apps from the definition of telecommunication services. The government has also proposed administrative allocation of spectrum for satellite services. Global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) has been incorporated under the first schedule, wherein spectrum will be assigned administratively.
Further, the bill is also likely to grant powers to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to probe predatory pricing and take required action.
