DoT panel to solve licence row

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30: A high-level empowered committee has been set up by the Department of Telecommunications DoT which will decide all ca...

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30: A high-level empowered committee has been set up by the Department of Telecommunications DoT which will decide all cases of telecom services licences where licensee companies have asked for reliefs or where there are ambiguities in the interpretation of the clauses in the licence agreement itself.

The decision to set up this committee was arrived at a meeting of the Telecom Commission held last week. At the same meeting the commission took several decisions intended to push the pace of setting up private telecommunication services in the country.

The Telecom Commission has also decided to extend the period of setting up basic and paging services from 12 months to 18 months. This was among major demands of the industry and the extension had already been provided for the cellular industry. The Telecom Commission has also decided to delink the Wireless Planning and Coordination WPC licence from the telecom services licence as there have been problems relating to payment of fees tothe WPC on account of freeing spectrum for the private operators.

So far the private operators, especially those in the field of cellular services, have agreed to pay the WPC charges only at one point for a circle for which they have a licence. However, the WPC has been demanding that these fees should be paid for every town in a circle held by the private operator. Since these issues do not find any detailed mention in the licence agreement, DoT has decided to delink the spectrum allocation issues out of the General Licence Agreement. According to a note circulated for the Telecom Commission, 8220;appropriate clauses in the tender/licence agreement will be provided as per the advice of the Wireless Advisor,8221; in all future licences to be issued from DoT.

The empowered committee set up in DoT will also peruse proposals of private operators which fail to obtain Foreign Investment Promotion Board FIPB clearance in the normal course. These may relate in some cases to permission for changes in partners of theoriginal promoters holding the licence for telecom services. This has been done to smoothen the impediments particular to the telecom sector.