According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), telecom operators can continue providing services under the current licensing regime till the validity of their respective licenses. Once the licenses expire, they will have to pay a renewal fee.
Meanwhile, telcos want government to continue with the current practice of a contract between a telco and department of telecommunications (DoT) in laying out terms and conditions as part of license agreement. However, TRAI has proposed an authorisation mechanism, wherein a company can be authorised to offer services while terms and conditions would be notified separately under the Telecommunications Act.
TRAI also mentioned that it would soon come out with a consultation paper on satellite spectrum pricing and will also take a revised look at over- the-top (OTT) regulation paper. The relook at OTT paper would be done based on the notification of Telecommunications Act.
Further, TRAI has suggested to the government that recommendations of TRAI should be sought whenever there is a substantial change which is required to be done in the new regime. TRAI has also recommended the government to provide a glide path to financial accounting and reporting, assignment of spectrum and numbering resources at a national level for entities obtaining unified service authorisation.
Furthermore, TRAI has proposed a unified authorisation model for telecom services, allowing telcos to route internal traffic based on their network design. This model also allows third-party cloud infrastructure use and resource sharing without restrictions. The proposed changes aim to improve service quality and competitive tariffs, boostavailability in remote areas, and support emergency services through satellite systems. The simplified authorisation regime will facilitate smoother migration of existing service providers and entry of new ones, offering enhanced service scope, reduced costs, flexibility, and lower entry fees.
