Spectrum is becoming one of the most important and fundamental ingredients in developing telecom infrastructure in India. As per various industry executives, India needs a transparent spectrum policy on the back of public resources for the connected ecosystem and economic activities. Manoj Mishra who is the Senior Public Policy Director at GSMA stated that the world had realised the importance of robust telecom infrastructure and there is a greater need for transparent spectrum policy and enormous investments, especially in India to be ready for the future digital economy. As reported by ET Telecom, Mishra was speaking at a webinar which was organised by GSMA and COAI.
Fruitful Policies Will Attract Sustainable Investments
Mishra also stated that India would need a clear and sure-fire policy which will attract sustainable investments in the industry. All the investments will further aid the telecom industry. Not only this, but it will also add to the development and growth of the next level of the technology revolution in the country.
Spectrum is Key Essential Element for Connected Society: COAI Director-General
Rajan Mathews, who is the director-general of COAI, stated that spectrum is equivalent to cement and iron. The need and importance of robust network have been witnessed by the entire nation in difficult times to run an economy digitally. In the industry, the spectrum is the fundamental ingredient of telecom infrastructure and a key essential of a connected society.
India has one of the Highest Spectrum Pricing in the World
The availability and pricing of the spectrum are some of the hurdles in the growth of telecom infrastructure in India. All the major telecom operators like Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have stated that 5G spectrum pricing by the government which has been set at Rs 492 crore per unit is too high. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has already marked that it will not participate in the 5G spectrum with the prices which are fixed by the government. Rajan Mathews also added that all the stakeholders would have to understand the role and importance of spectrum and frame policies as per the needs of the industry.
