Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, held a second round of consultative meetings with the Stakeholders Advisory Committees (SACs) -- Committee on Satellite Communication, and Internet Service Providers & Infrastructure Providers – and assured them that new rules under the New Telecom Act are designed to address many issues, including right of way (RoW).
The meeting that happened on Thursday revolved around current regulatory provisions and seamless adoption and facilitation of RoW for a digitally connected India. The initiative will be critical in engaging industry leaders in expanding and shaping the future of India’s telecommunication ecosystem, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said in a statement.
The SACs shared their inputs identified in the last meetings related to the Indian space policy, allocation of satellite spectrum and spectrum usage charge (SUC). The Advisory Committee on Satellite Communication presented their views on the Indian space policy, spectrum allocation and SUC, and suggested measures for advancing India’s position as a global hub for satellite communication.
The advisory committee on Internet Service Providers & Infrastructure Providers commended the recent progress in RoW processes, but emphasised the ongoing need for integrated governance and enhanced cooperation from State governments and local municipal bodies.
The Advisory Committee on Satellite Communication commended the Ministry for including key provisions in the New Telecom Act. They said these changes are set to modernise India’s telecommunications framework by enabling more flexible, liberalised, and technologically neutral spectrum utilisation, which will greatly benefit the advancement and efficiency of satellite communication services.
On that, Scindia encouraged the industry stakeholders for actively participate by providing their feedback on the RoW rules. He said the Ministry was aiming to facilitate a consistent two-way dialogue with government on matters related to the telecommunications sector.
Scindia had constituted six distinct SACs recently to provide DoT insights on various matterst. Top CEOs, academicians, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry thought leaders are part of these SACs.
Last month, he held the first meeting with the telecom SAC, which was attended by Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Airtel Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chief Executive Officer, Gopal Vittal, and Vodafone-Idea Managing Director Akshaya Moondra, apart from representatives of the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI).