Trai to hold consultation on spectrum issues next year

Telecom regulator Trai will hold consultation with telecom firms and other stakeholders on spectrum-related issues, fiberisation, redesigning of Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) in 2019, chairman R S Sharma said on Wednesday.

Sharma, who chaired a meeting with telecom companies representatives here to discuss issues to be prioritised for 2019, told reporters that next year the regulator will bring a consultation paper on spectrum-related issues including policy relating to auctions of radio waves, trading, leasing, and reserve price valuation methodology.

In the meeting, which was attended by representatives of Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio, Airtel, MTNL and BSNL, also decided that several other issues like fiberisation, redesigning of Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) and designing of broadband readiness index for states will be deliberated by the regulator next year.

In the meeting, the industry raised the issue of high levies on the telecom sector and pending GST refunds.

Earlier, the industry leaders have sought the government to relief in terms of reducing the levies like licence fee, spectrum charges and release of GST input tax credit tax.

With the telecom industry facing around Rs 4.5 lakh crore debt, the industry leaders have suggested the government that any policy should not focus on revenue maximisation as it was earlier. He also said that the revenue maximisation is one of the reasons for too many litigations between the companies and government authorities.