The Hindu Business Line : `Sustaining telecom sector growth is biggest challenge'

The new TRAI Chairman, Mr Nripendra Misra, has said that the biggest challenge for him would be to sustain the growth in the telecom sector over the next three years.

The former Secretary of the Department of Telecom, who took over as TRAI chief today, sought to put to rest reports of differences between the Communications Ministry and the telecom regulator, saying that there was no cross-purpose between the two.

"The TRAI has played the role of a facilitator by removing bottlenecks in the sector. There could be major policy issues that could be of interest to the DoT, like seeing how the public and private sector are surviving and whether they are financially viable. If there is an interest of the department in these areas, it is very legitimate; I see no cross-purpose and no cross-connection," Mr Misra said immediately after taking office.

Giving full marks to his predecessor, Mr Pradip Baijal, he said: "I would want to complete my three-year tenure with the same kind of certificate that my predecessor got from the media. There is no fresh look into any policy. There is always continuity. We never start from a clean slate. It is a modular approach and we build on that."

Mr Misra said that co-operation from all the players - private sector, public sector, the Government, service providers, and the department - was essential for the development of the sector.

Rural-urban gap

"Telecom is a happening sector and its achievements are exemplary. I would seek to use TRAI's guiding policy to encourage players in removing the current urban-rural gap in connectivity and improve quality of service. But DoT is the primary mover of rural telephony and it is in the domain of the department."

Mr Misra said that he was favour of the current technology-neutral policy of the Government. "The regulator has to be technology-friendly. Anything good for the country should be facilitated and if the TRAI has a role in it, it must move in that direction."

He emphasised the need to share infrastructure to avoid duplicate investments and network, while suggesting that more operators should go to rural areas.

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