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He was speaking at the release of another set of reforms in the satellite communication (satcom<\/a>) and telecom sectors, including a National Frequency Allocation Plan-2022 (NFAP<\/a>), to facilitate ease of doing business, and attracting investments. Under the document, nearly 17GHz of new additional spectrum has been released for implementing 5G<\/a> in all three segments of radio spectrum – below 1 GHz, between 1-6 GHz and above 6 GHz.
Vaishnaw also said that telecom operators should add on at least 10,000 base transreceiver stations (BTS) every week to speed up the spread of 5G services in the country, compared with the 2,500 BTSes that are being added per week now. He added that the government had done its bit in ushering in reforms, and it is now up to the industry to show its commitment.
“The issues with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) have now been resolved…In the draft (telecom bill), we have focused on user protection which is central to our policy<\/a> making,” he said, adding that the department is actively consulting stakeholders. He added that the deadline for public comments on the draft telecom bill has been further extended to November 10.
The department had initially set October 20 as the deadline for public comments, which was then extended to October 30. Experts said the draft bill gives greater powers to the DoT in terms of taking policy decisions at the Trai’s expense.
After the government unveiled a raft of telecom sector reforms in September 2021, which allowed deferred payment of statutory dues and redefined adjusted gross revenue (AGR) among other major measures, the Centre this time has focussed on wireless planning & coordination (WPC<\/a>)-related reforms and satcom matters, Vaishnaw said. He is also the minister for electronics & information technology and railways.
He said that the latest set of reforms will ease procedures and streamline clearances to expedite the rollout of satcom services across the country, especially in remote areas. Some of the satcom-related reforms include mounting of VSAT on any mobile vehicle, self-certification of antennas, and simplified NOCC process with a single-step procedure.
The department also delicensed 865-868 MHz spectrum band for IoT and M2M, 433 - 434.7MHz and 9-30MHz for wireless charging. Delicensed spectrum does not need to be auctioned, and can be allocated administratively, for a fee.