NEW DELHI: The Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI) said the wireless licensing reform the government has introduced will help expedite digital India efforts. The telecom body, which represents all the three private telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, said the reforms will aid in quicker rollout of networks and services and promote ease of doing business (EoDB) through reduced compliances.
“We greatly appreciate the government’s proactive approach in implementing these progressive reforms, which are aimed towards facilitating a simpler, less time-consuming system for quicker execution of processes, as well as towards enabling ease of doing business for the sector. This would be instrumental in helping faster deployment of networks and roll-out of services to the users,” said Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Wednesday released another set of procedural reforms in the telecom and satellite communications (satcom) sectors, including the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) 2022. For the Satcom sector, the telecom ministry has simplified SACFA (Standing Advisory Committee on Frequency Allocation) certificate clearance guidelines, in which the processing fee is reduced significantly from Rs 1,000 to Rs 100. COAI opines that this will help telecom operators reduce their compliance burden and save time.
The government has also made the entire import licence online and self-declaration based clearance adopted instead of the earlier security-based clearance process. DoT has also issued an advisory on the proper use of wireless jammer or booster and repeater. This will help counter the menace of illegal activities which interfere with network operations and performance, affecting consumer experience, said COAI.
“The NFAP 2022 takes into account the outcomes of the ITU’s Radio Regulations and the specifics for usage of spectrum by various users in India via the India remarks. This will provide regulatory certainty to all users of spectrum in India,” COAI said in a statement.
Reforms will aid in quicker rollout, says COAI
COAI, which represents all the three private telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, said the reforms will aid in quicker rollout of networks and services and promote ease of doing business through reduced compliances. DoT on Wednesday released another set of procedural reforms in satcom sectors, including the NFAP 2022