Telecom operators including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) have welcomed the draft Indian Telecommunications Bill 2023 recently tabled in the parliament.
According to Gopal Vittal, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO), Airtel, the bill would bring predictability in crucial areas related to spectrum such as harmonisation, surrender of unused spectrum, and primary and secondary assignments, among others. The seminal spectrum reforms initiated in 2023 eliminated spectrum use charge (SUC) for future spectrum assignments and provided the option of moratorium of past spectrum dues and annual spectrum roadmap. As per Vittal, these reforms have now gained further momentum under the proposed draft bill. He stated that the proposed legislation ensures predictability and availability of spectrum covering aspects such as refarming, harmonisation and trading/leasing/sharing. This will lead to the creation of a robust digital infrastructure and increased penetration of services thereby benefitting every Indian.
Vittal added that the proposed law suggests ground-breaking reforms by streamlining India’s licensing landscape, and aims to simplify the current convoluted system, which includes various types of licensing into a more cohesive and efficient authorisation-based regime. He noted that the graded proportionate penalty regime would bring ease of doing business and compliance while increasing the enforcement rate. He added that the government has rightfully retained oversight of telecom networks from a sovereign security perspective, a requirement integral to India’s telecom licences over the last two decades. As per Vittal, the draft bill would also usher in simplification in the telecom licensing regime and take the government’s intent of reforms started in September 2021 forward. Giving legal backing of right of way (RoW) will accelerate 5G roll-out, while differentiating telecom infrastructure from the property it is installed on will bring the cost of the roll-out of infrastructure lower.
Meanwhile, Vi has welcomed the rationalisation of penalties and the legal enforceability of RoW provisions, a long-standing request of the industry. According to Akshaya Moondra, CEO, Vi, the draft Indian Telecommunications Bill 2023 represents a watershed moment in the telecom reform process and reaffirms the government’s commitment to provide the industry with a future-fit framework that helps achieve the growth aspirations of a ‘new India’. He stated that the bill carries several forward-looking provisions that will help deliver the benefits of digital connectivity to all citizens. As per Moondra, the security of telecom networks is paramount, and the bill recognises telecom as critical infrastructure and prescribes punitive consequences for those who damage it. By highlighting the duties of users, the bill puts equal responsibility on consumers to meet the requirements of national security.
