TRAI recommends 100% foreign ownership in radio services

By agencies   |   Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 19:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI today recommended 100 percent foreign ownership in satellite radio services and no entry and license fee for the time being. In its recommendations to the Government, TRAI said, "it will be desirable to provide a licensing framework now itself so that there is no uncertainty in the future." There should not be any entry fee unless there was excess demand for the available spectrum space in which case tenders may be invited on lines recommended for FM radio, TRAI said, adding government should not levy any annual license fee as long as terrestrial repeaters were not permitted. "Once these repeaters are permitted a revenue share of four percent of gross revenue generated in India should be imposed as has already been recommended for FM radio," the regulator said. On the technical front, the regulator said that it should be mandatory for satellite radio operators to provide addressability to every subscriber, which is capable of blocking unwanted channel or group of channels. According to TRAI there should be only one license for carriage and the licensee would be responsible to the licensor for content regulation. AIR Program code and Advertisement code should be made applicable to Satellite radio also. TRAI had brought out a consultation paper on the subject last year and based on response from the stakeholders, the regulator has given its recommendations.