New Delhi:

The Centre on Tuesday announced several key changes to simplify approval processes for telecom licences and wireless equipment, in its bid to further pursue structural reforms and ease of doing business in the telecom sector.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) introduced changes to the approval processes for issuing Experimental Licences, Demonstration Licenses, and Equipment Type Approvals (ETA). These changes are based on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

“These reforms are aimed at reducing delays and simplifying regulatory requirements, fostering innovation and streamlining operations for businesses and telecom operators,” said the DoT.

For Experimental Licences cases not requiring inter-ministerial consultation, the license will be deemed issued after 30 days if no decision is conveyed.

In cases requiring inter-ministerial consultation, the DoT will seek comments within seven days of receiving a complete application.

“If no comments are received, a provisional license will be granted after 60 days, which will be converted to a regular license after 90 days, provided there are no adverse comments,” said the Ministry of Communications.

Similarly, for Demonstration Licenses, licenses without inter-ministerial consultation will be deemed granted after 15 days.

For those requiring consultation, licenses will be deemed granted after 45 days once comments are sought from relevant authorities.

If any unfavourable inter-ministerial comments are received during the approval process, the provisional license will be cancelled, and the experiment must be stopped immediately, said the DoT.

All the applications of Equipment Type Approvals (ETA) for license-exempt wireless devices will now be granted on a self-declaration basis.

According to the government, this process is expected to significantly reduce the time and effort required for approvals, “benefiting companies looking to deploy wireless equipment in the Indian market”.

“Additionally, ETA holders are reminded to obtain the necessary clearances, such as a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), before importing equipment into India,” said the DoT.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Tata Communications has challenged Telecom Department’s Rs 991.5 crore licence fee demand pertaining to past years, in TDSAT, which has directed the DoT not to take any coercive action till the next hearing, the company said in a filing on Friday.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) in its demand letter dated August 8, 2023, has raised certain license-fee demands of Rs 991.54 crore pertaining to FY 2006-07 (international long-distance and internet service provider) and FY 2007-08 (NLD, ILD and ISP).

“These demands have been challenged by the company before…TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal), wherein after hearing both the parties, …TDSAT, vide its order dated 14 August 2023 received by the company on 17 August 2023, has directed DoT not to take any coercive action till the next hearing,” Tata Communications said in a BSE filing.

The company further said it has already included the amount in dispute as part of the notes to accounts in the quarterly financial results for the June 2023 quarter.

“This has already been considered as part of contingent liabilities for the quarter ended 30 June 2023,” the filing said.