Nse Allows Membership To Otcei, Bgse Arms

The final recommendations on the licence and terms and conditions of the licence agreement for Global Moblie Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) will be made in three months, said S S Sodhi, chairman Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) while releasing the consultation paper on the service yesterday.

In the consultation paper released, TRAI presented various issues relevant for licensing GMPCS service in India. "Even though the basis of this paper is the Provisional Licence Agreement with Iridium, the issues have been approached in a generic manner so as to formulate recommendations, which could apply to all the GMPCS service providers who may be licensed to enter the Indian market," said the paper.

 

The government recently opened up the market for GMPCS service. The policy in this regard provides for issue of licences on a non-exclusive basis without any restriction on the number of service providers, coverage being voice and non-voice messages, data services and information services.

The first licence was issued in October 1998 to Iridium India Telecom Ltd (Iridium) on a provisional basis. Final licence is to be based on the recommendations of TRAI in the matter of licence fee structure, and terms and conditions of the licence agreement for which the department of telecommunications has sought TRAI's recommendations.

Meanwhile, the new telecom policy 1999 was announced in March 1999, which reiterated consultations with the TRAI in the matter.

TRAI said yesterday that there has been a phenomenal growth in the terrestrial cellular market over the past few years. Mobile phones are rapidly emerging as a tool of general utility.

GMPCS successfully integrates the principles and the technologies used in mobile communications as well as satellite communication systems to translate a dream of "communication anytime anywhere" into a reality.

Advantages of the GMPCS system include the benefits of a telephone service to areas where there is no terrestrial telecommunication infrastructure apart from the facility of global roaming.