Indian telecoms regulator TRAI has proposed charging a single INR45.72 billion (US$1bn) per megahertz for mobile operators holding anything over their original frequencies.
Another suggestion was to increase charges for bandwidth of up to 6.2MHz from the…
Indian telecoms regulator TRAI has proposed charging a single INR45.72 billion (US$1bn) per megahertz for mobile operators holding anything over their original frequencies.
Another suggestion was to increase charges for bandwidth of up to 6.2MHz from the current INR16.58bn to INR109.72bn.
Both charges should be backdated to last April, TRAI told the government. T
The next step will be for the Telecom Commission, a division of the
Department of Telecommunications to consider the proposals.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal was cited as telling TV audiences that the changes seemed reasonable.
Unsurprisingly, telcos themselves seem less than pleased, despite the fact that they are increasingly encountering new surprises from the regulator.
Bharti Airtel was quoted saying the proposed pricing “defies logic,” while Vodafone Essar said the proposals “are flawed, illogical, discriminatory,” and that it “strongly disagrees” with a one-time bandwidth fee.
