(The following are the key features of the National Telecom Policy 2012 approved by the Cabinet on 31/05/2012. Detailed analysis will be made after seeing the full text of the Policy, which is yet to be circulated by the DoT.)
- To increase the rural tele density from the present 35% (38.33% on
31/03/2012) to 60% by 2017 and to
100% by 2020
- To provide broadband on demand by 2015,(13.79 millions on
31/03/2012 and 13.54 million on 29/02/2012) and to achieve a target of 175
million broadband users by 2017 and 600 million by 2020
- Broadband speed to be revised to 512 kbps and further to 2Mbps by
2015 and 100 Mbps by 2020
- To make India a global hub for telecom equipment manufacturing
- Majority of telecom networks to be domestically manufactured by
2020
- To abolish roaming charges on mobile phones and allow users to retain the same
number across the country
- Licenses to be delinked from spectrum
- To put in place legal, regulatory
and licensing frame work for convergence of services, networks and
devices
- Allow sharing of networks
- Unified licensing allowing operator to offer any service
- Allowing resale of services
- Mergers and Acquisitions to be relaxed to allow consolidation
- All future spectrum allocation will be at market rates
- Allow spectrum pooling, sharing and trading
- Refarming of spectrum
- To promote using of white space with low power devices
- Free 300 MHz for commercial telephony by 2017 and another 200 MHz
by 2020
- Building capacity for lawful interception and monitoring
- Standardization of telecom equipment
- Government and private sector to share cost for implementing the
security measures
- Strong and independent regulator with more powers
- DoT to look after licensing and spectrum allocation and Ministry of
Communications to focus on policy making
- Review Indian Telegraph Act in consultation with stake holders
- Strengthen DoT units to monitor and enforce license conditions
- Rationalization of taxes affecting the sector to make services more
affordable
- Creation of telecom finance corporation to facilitate investment in the sector
