Spectrum policy in 15 days
By agencies   |   Tuesday, 09 August 2005, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: The government today said the long-awaited spectrum policy would be released in about 15-days and the FDI guidelines for the sector would be finalized by the month-end. "The decision on the spectrum policy can be expected in the next 15 days. We had constituted a three-member committee, which will give its report soon. We will finalize it by the month-end," DoT secretary J S Sarma said. When asked on the delay for finalizing the FDI norms, Sarma said there were "certain procedural delays" as the matter required detailed discussions. However, he added that no major changes were anticipated in the guidelines, which were nearing finalization. In February, the Union Cabinet cleared the hike in foreign direct investment in telecom to 74 percent from the existing 49 percent. "I don't anticipate any major change in the final FDI guidelines vis-à-vis in the Cabinet approval of February," he said. While refusing to divulge details, Sarma said the government was working towards the implementation of uniform call rates across the country as part of the OneIndia policy. "It is not possible to put a time-frame for the introduction this policy-we are working towards its implementation at the earliest," he said. According to him, the government would also announce guidelines on the manufacturing of telecom equipments by vendors in India in the upcoming telecom policy, 2005. "We have to start manufacturing in India as 53 percent of telecom revenue (estimated to be $9 billion) of the telecom operators go towards imports, which has to change."

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