The new telecom policy approved by the Cabinet will be quite a boon for the people if and when it is implemented. The Department of Telecommunication has still to work out the guidelines to put into effect this policy, which envisages one nation full number portability and one nation free roaming. There is a lot of scepticism about the actual implementation of free roaming and free number portability and it is likely that the operators will raise the base price as they are unlikely to provide anything free.
One of the objectives of the new policy is to improve tele-density so it is perplexing as to why DoT is not in favour of district-level licensing. The telecom regulatory authority had in its recommendations devoted 30 pages to why this was necessary and how it would lead to a manifold increase in tele-density. The population at the rural level has its own specific requirements. Young rural village entrepreneurs can provide telecom services as per the needs of groups of villages at the district level, and this way telecom density can be multiplied in a short time, even before 2017 when DoT expects 70 per cent tele-density. It is, therefore, inexplicable why DoT says it will think about this later without giving reasons. What is wrong with now, when such a move could change the quality of life in rural areas and democratise the telecom industry further? The big players are against district licensing as it would eat into their space when they are ready to roll out services in these areas. Perhaps DoT needs to rethink fast as the larger good should prevail over sectoral interests, and this would be in sync with the government’s inclusive mantra.
Apart from this, the new telecom policy is very welcome as, among other things, it brings in transparency and takes away powers of vital decision-making from the telecom minister of the day and vests it with a ministerial panel. Perhaps there should be a time frame set for the panel so that decisions are not in limbo waiting for the panel to meet.
The other laudable provision is to make India a manufacturing hub for telecom equipment. This is a challenge as manufacturers will have to compete with China in terms of price and volume. The commerce minister is said to have expressed some apprehensions as the government would have to give local manufacturers priority over imports, and sops. The commerce minister reportedly feels this would violate the WTO and GATT agreements. This should not be difficult to handle. The US put heavy duties on Chinese solar and wind farm equipment, which were flooding the American markets. There is need to shake off diffidence and push the envelope so that the new telecom policy becomes a success.