Altering current telecom licensing regime to cause uncertainty, deter investments: COAI

NEW DELHI: India’s top telecom operators have opposed the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) decision to migrate to an authorisation regime, and urged that the current practice of entering into contractual agreements with licensed entities be kept in place.

SP Kochhar, director-general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said in a letter to Neeral Mittal, secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT,) that the existing contractual licensing framework provides both regulatory certainty and a safeguard through enforceable contractual rights.