The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a telecom industry body representing Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and more telecom companies, said that key growth areas for the sector are AI (artificial intelligence) and 6G. Many corporates throughout India are already integrating AI into their technology layers to make processes more efficient and reduce costs.
"India is now poised to lead the global race towards 6G, with an exciting opportunity to drive technological leadership. With the on-going efforts like the Bharat 6G Vision, the government aims to create 10% of 6G patents from India and is evaluating 470 proposals on 'Accelerated research on 6G Ecosystem'," said Dr S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI.
Read More - Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL to Offer Voice and SMS Only STVs Now
Challenges Listed by COAI
While there are growth areas, there are also challenges. COAI said that large traffic generators (LTGs), which are essentially the OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms, should contribute to the USOF (universal service obligation fund) just like the telcos. This is because LTGs traffic forces telcos to make higher investments, but the revenues go to the LTGs alone. Further, most of this revenue to the LTG is processed outside India, meaning, the government loses on tax revenue.
Read More - Airtel, BSNL Grow Wireless User Base in October 2024, Jio and Vi Lose
Further, COAI has reiterated the need for bringing OTT communication under regulation. Additionally, the telcos need the spectrum in the 6 GHz band for providing 5G and 6G in the future, said COAI. One other challenge which the telcos are facing is the stringent QoS norms implemented by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
COAI said, "TSPs view the newly proposed QoS norms, including monthly and site-to-cell level reporting, as impractical and overly burdensome." There was also an emphasis on the problems that D2M is creating.
"COAI has called for transparent auctions of the sub-GHz (526-582 MHz) spectrum, integrating it into telecom networks to maintain fair competition. Additionally, the suggestion for a dedicated D2M network for disaster alerts is unnecessary, as cellular networks effectively deliver alerts via the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) platform," said Kochhar.
