New telecom policy may be placed before Cabinet in 2 weeks: Aruna Sundararajan

The new telecom policy — branded as National Digital Communications Policy — is expected to be placed before the Cabinet for approval in two weeks, a top official has said. “It is likely to be placed in two weeks,” telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said on the sidelines of a BSNL event. The government has recently issued the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) which once approved will set road map for attracting investment of around Rs 6.5 lakh crore in the sector and create 40 lakh new job opportunities.

Promising rationalisation of levies such as spectrum charges to rejuvenate debt-ridden telecom sector, the proposed new telecom policy seeks to provide broadband access to all with 50 mbps speed, 5G services and create 40 lakh new jobs by 2022. It proposes to adopt “Optimal Pricing of Spectrum” to ensure sustainable and affordable access to digital communications.

High spectrum price and related charges have been main concern of telecom services segment, which is reeling under a debt of around Rs 7.8 lakh crore. Sundararajan said that the Department of Telecom has completed inter-ministerial consultation on the new policy and is now working on some of the processes required to be fulfilled before the draft is submitted to cabinet for the approval.