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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is planning to resurrect an old plan to converge telecom, Internet, and broadcasting sectors. Surprisingly, the right of center previous Government run by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had stalled this proposal for political reasons. Given the current Government requires the support of the communists who are averse to any economic reform, the passage of this proposal seems bleak. The present Government took more than a year to approve the rise of Foreign Direct Investment limit in just the telecom sector from 49 to 74 per cent. This proposal requires uniform FDI levels, licensing fees, spectrum rationalization, and creation of equal opportunities to cell phone, wireless local loop, telecom, cable, and Internet service providers to be able to address data, voice, video markets.
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