India should take steps to bring down the cost of spectrum and help improve the viability of telecom companies, said Marten Pieters, Managing Director and CEO, Vodafone India.
Interacting with journalists from Business Line and The Hindu on Wednesday, he said inadequate spectrum availability and excessive competition have driven up costs for operators.
The Government, he said, needed to revamp the industry’s structure to bring down costs, attract capital investments, and raise service quality to global standards.
Pieters said Vodafone India has invested over ₹65,000 crore and contributed over ₹71,000 crore to the exchequer in licence fees, taxes, etc. But its investors have not seen any dividend since 2007, when it entered the country.
India is a global IT hub but lags most countries in broadband services. “If we had adequate spectrum in all circles Vodafone India can double investments,” he said. Pieters said keeping the cost of services low for consumers is not just about increasing competition, but also about enabling companies to scale up. Having a dozen players has only handicapped serious telecom companies in India.