We’re working on a comprehensive net neutrality policy, says TRAI Chairman
Indian telecom industry is divided on the possibilities of a spectrum auction this year, with many in the industry saying that all existing operators have tanked up enough radio waves. Further, hurt by high competition and cut-throat tariffs, operators are not in a financial position to bid for spectrum in case of an auction this year. However, some other players wants the government to sell spectrum.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is yet to take a call and is awaiting government’s directive on the same. In case of an auction, the regulator will look at putting the entire spectrum on the block, like last year, says Chairman RS Sharma. Speaking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress, Sharma said the regulator is working a comprehensive policy for net neutrality. Excerpts:
Will there be an auction of spectrum this year?
If the government makes a recommendation, we will definitely respond with the timings and prices. TRAI has held in the past also, it’s a good idea to put the entire spectrum available on the block, which is what we did last year. Of course, some of it didn’t get sold.
Hopefully, that (putting entire spectrum on block) will be our approach when we do a consultation.
What is the status of the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO)?
The government had earlier announced an MVNO policy and we had also bought in licensing rules for MVNOs. I think, it’s getting operational and even though the uptake has been initially slow, I am sure it will come into play.
As the regulator, what is your stance on the proposed Vodafone India- Idea Cellular merger?
I have always maintained the position that I have no comments to offer as this is a business proposition. If there are regulatory issues, we will cross the bridge when we come to it.
What is current consultation the regulator is doing on net neutrality?
When we issued the regulations relating to differential or discriminatory tariffs, in some sense, we had looked at the problem of net neutrality from a tariff perspective. Now, the government has asked us to provide a comprehensive recommendation on net neutrality, and current consultation is towards that. It will be comprehensive recommendation.
When can a new National Telecom Policy (NTP) be expected?
TRAI has not started any work on it. We had an NTP in 2012.
On the auction of the 700 MHz spectrum, what’s TRAI’s stance?
Let the government make a reference and then we will roll out a consultation paper on it.
On the 5G front, standardisation is what now keeps the technology at bay. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is expected to meet in a couple of weeks to sort this out. How is India prepared for it?
We are quite fascinated to see a lot of operators and vendors doing a number of experiments and use cases. The standards are in the making and when this is finalised, 5G would take off. All policies are in place and I don’t think there are any policy deficiencies. On the issues of companies not having enough finances to buy spectrum is a completely different one and I would not like to comment on it.
Where does Indian telecom industry stand vis-a-vis the global sector?
India’s telecom story is an extremely interesting and vibrant one. This is a very successful sector and has contributed to the country’s economy with more than a billion mobile connections. I think we are now moving from a voice world to a data world, and that data play is going to be very important.
This is because of the initiatives such as Digital India, Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities. I think India will not be far behind in terms of adoption of 5G, IoT and machine-to-machine learning among others. I think it’s a fascinating story.