The draft National Telecom Policy, NTP unvieled in New Delhi on Monday by Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, aims at one nation-one licence which would over a period of ten years, result in full Mobile Number Portability and free roaming across the country. Telecom operators will not require separate licences for operations in various parts of the country and a single licence would suffice. Telecom services users will also be able to avail free roaming and keep their phone numbers even if they switch service providers anywhere in the country.The Minister said, the draft NTP lays special emphasis on providing affordable, reliable and secure telecommunication services including Broadband througout the nation. Mr. Kapil Sibal said the main vision of the policy is Broadband on Demand that envisages leveraging telecom infrastructure to enable all citizens both in rural and urban areas to participate in the Internet and web economy.The Minister clarified that revenue generation will play a secondary role and the policy will lead towards convergence between telecom, broadcast and IT services. He said the draft NTP targets increase in rural tele-density to 60 per cent by 2017 and 100 per cent by 2020.To avoid the recurrence of the 2G like scams, Mr. Sibal said spectrum allocation will be delinked from licences and radio waves would be made available at market-determined prices. The Minister said that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI's recommendations on new licences, migration to new licences and exit policy will be followed.
News On AIR | October 10, 2011 6:13 PM
Draft National Telecom Policy unvieled