Broadband India Forum writes to govt for implementing pending telecom policy, Trai suggestions

Telecom think-tank Broadband India Forum has urged the government to implement the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018,which was notified around one-and-a-half years ago but is yet to be rolled out.

BIF also requested Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash to take action on at least 13 of the 31 recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) that would be helpful for the sector.

"We earnestly believe that it is the time to expeditiously implement already-decided government actions in order to...spur the nation to the next wave of digital transformation and this can be done no better than by implementing NDCP 2018," BIF President TV Ramachandran said in the letter dated May 6.

The NDCP 2018 promises to rationalise spectrum price, reduce levies on telecom players, open up more spectrum bands for mobile services specially for 5G, push massive fibre roll out in the country and take other measures that could ease doing business in the sector.

"We recall that the NDCP is the first policy in the entire history of India Telecoms that takes into account Trai recommendations specially made for formulating the new policy after detailed open public consultations.

"We also recall that the NDCP was approved in a cabinet meeting on September 26, 2018 that was chaired by our Honourable Prime Minister and was also gazette notified by October 31, 2018," Ramachandran said.

BIF requested for early action on some of Trai recommendations which include opening of E and V band spectrum for the industry, dedicated network for disaster management, ease of doing business in the sector, promotion of open public wi-fi networks and redefining broadband speeds that can be helpful for the sector.

"The entire digital communications sector is eagerly awaiting the implementation of this great policy which was announced in October 2018," Ramachandran said.