Telecom panel to meet Tuesday, decide one-time spectrum fee

The empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM) on telecom, headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram, is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, to discuss the issue of one-time spectrum fee. .The panel will also decide final recommendations on minimum price for airwaves that are to be auctioned following the Supreme Court's cancelling of 122 licences in the 2G spectrum allocation case, according to sources.."EGoM meeting is scheduled for Tuesday," official sources said..On June 20, the EGoM set the reserve price for telecom spectrum auction in the range of Rs14,000-Rs 16,000 crore, sources said. This is lower than the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) recommendation of a base price of Rs 3,622 crore per Mhz, or about Rs 18,000 crore in all..The ministerial panel has given the Cabinet two options on spectrum auction pricing and is also in favour of deferring payment for 2G spectrum, sources added..The eGom had on July 20 deferred a decision on one-time fee to be paid by current telecom operators..The Union Cabinet on July 3 had referred matter of one-time spectrum fee to EGoM to get its view. Under one-time spectrum fee, the Telecom Ministry has proposed to charge for spectrum held by operators other than those whose licence were not cancelled..The apex court in February cancelled 122 telecom licences belonging to eight service providers including all permits of Uninor, Loop Telecom, Etisalat DB, Videocon, STel, 21 licences of Sistema Shyam, 9 of Idea Cellular and 3 licences of Tata Teleservices..The eGoM has been assigned with task to take decision related to spectrum auction. It has been dealing with contentious issue of spectrum pricing as it has to strike balance between revenue to the government and business sustainability in the telecom sector..Industry has been demanding around 80 per cent reduction in the minimum price of Rs 3,622 crore recommended by sector regulator Trai as they felt the new rates would lead to up to 100 per cent hike in mobile telephone charges.

Telecom panel to meet Tuesday, decide one-time spectrum fee

The FIU, an enforcement agency, is empowered to undertake investigations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

NDTV Profit

NDTV Profit

Follow Us

DOWNLOAD THE APP