Telecom panel defers call on spectrum rate

At present, telecom operators pay between 1-8% of AGR depending on their spectrum holding.

The Telecom Commission (TC) will meet again within a week to discuss the issue of spectrum usage charge (SUC), a percentage of the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) that telecom operators pay to the government, as it failed to take a final call on the levy on 7 January.

"The issue needs more discussions. We are discussing a number of options and there could be more hybrids that we might consider. We will meet again in the next few days," M F Farooqui, the TC chairman, who is also the secretary of the department of telecommunications (DoT), said.

While the TC, which is the highest decision-making authority at the DoT, has agreed that modification of the current slab-based SUC is "necessary", modalities need to be worked out, said Farooqui. "A decision will surely be taken before the forthcoming auction. The auction would not be delayed further." The next auction will start on February 3.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/telecom-news/item/3990-telecom-panel-defers-call-on-spectrum-rate.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/telecom-news/item/3990-telecom-panel-defers-call-on-spectrum-rate.html