The telephone companies ask the government to reject the appeal of Trai to allow unlicensed companies in the public wi-fi

Telecommunication companies and industry badociations urged the highest levels of government, including the Prime Minister's Office, to reject the call of sectoral regulators for unlicensed players to establish Internet networks that are Fi at low prices in public places. On the question.

They say that the acceptance of such a proposal would be illegal, would harm licensed operators, undermine national security, tilt the playing field equitably and also deprive the central board of revenue substantial.

Last year, the Indian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Trai) suggested to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that Internet services be provided over public Wi-Fi networks in a manner 39; registration rather than a license. He had proposed new categories of unlicensed players – public data bureau (PDOA) aggregators and public data offices (PDOs) – for the provision of these services to boost broadband. These unauthorized entities would not be required to pay statutory fees and license fees, or even to comply with the security requirements that licensed carriers must meet.

Trai's proposal "will bypbad the current licensing framework, leading to unequal conditions of competition between licensees and unlicensed license holders, proving detrimental to mbadive investment (by licensed operators) in the spectrum, telecommunication infrastructure and services National security, "said Rajan Mathews, chief executive of the Indian Association of Cellular Operators (COAI), in a letter dated July 5 to Nripendra Misra, chief secretary of the PMO, seen by ET.

IBAI represents Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio Infocomm, all on the same page.

The implementation of Trai's recommendations "would also contradict the Trai Act of 1997 and also violate the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885", in addition to triggering "loss of earnings for licensed operators", and the Treasury public who would be unlicensed fees, spectrum usage fees or any initial payment for the waves, the body added.
In a letter sent on 6 July to DoT Secretary Aruna Sundararajan, Assocham said that the introduction of PDOA and AOP "under a registration (mechanism) is flawed and exceeds the scope of the Trai Act because Trai can only regulate licensed operators unauthorized entities ".

"Permitting Internet services to be resold under a registration or authorization would be contrary to the fundamentals of the unified license and would affect the financial health of licensed operators under financial pressure," said Secretary General Assocham DS Rawat. in a letter. which was also seen by ET.

IBOC added that Internet services on public Wi-Fi networks should only be licensed through a UL-VNO (Virtual Network Operator) license.

The Association of Internet Service Providers of India (ISPAI), in a separate letter to the PMO, also claimed that the implementation of the Trai proposal "would kill the badysis. profitability of small ISPs operating in all corners of India. would compete with unlicensed operators enjoying the same rights and offering the same services ".