The Department of Telecom on Friday said that it is ready to sit along with the industry to solve issues around the merger and acquisition for early resolutions if any. The same is also mentioned in the draft National Telecom Policy 2018.
“Going forward, yes, we are going to look at the issue of merger and acquisitions and see how we can speed it up. In fact, in the ease of doing business, the last we have approved in the Telecom Commission last week, there were some suggestions relating to this also, which came from TRAI, which has been already approved,” Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Department of Telecom, told reporters here.
It cannot be done overnight, but progressively the government will certainly try and address that, she said.
Declining to comment on pending case on M&A (Bharti Airtel-Telenor) in the court, Sundararajan said, “In the past, if there had been legacy issues, which have been a challenge for the ease of doing business, for them we are saying we will sit together with the industry to see how this can be sorted out.”
Spectrum usage charge
Briefing the media on the draft National Digital Communications Policy 2018, she also said that spectrum usage charge will be rationalised too so that it can cover the administrative charges.
“That is the very clear indication with which we intend to go. On the other hand, we have also said reviewing of the levies in line with the input tax in its principle. There also we have indicated what will be the framework and principles in which we will be going forward,” the DoT Secretary said.
On asked about the where the investments that the draft policy spoke about — bringing $100 billion by 2022 — will come from when the industry is not in a good shape, she said the country has enough potential to attract such investments.
Given that the data are growing at 500 per cent and this 500 per cent data growth is only on the back of 30 per cent penetration of mobile services, there is enough scope for all of these to unfold. “There are new players to come in, new services to develop, for new types of content…so the fundamentals are right,” she said.
“Main objective of this policy can be summarised by saying — ‘Broadband for all’ (Rashtriya Broadband Abhiyan) — because it is important for India just like we have National Health Mission. Broadband has to be a mission and implemented on a mission mode,” Sundararajan said.
The draft policy, which was put for public comments on Monday, is expected to be tabled before the Cabinet in the next four weeks so that it is in place by June, she added.