The Department of Telecom (DoT) had invited suggestions from interested parties to mark off formulating its strategic plan, subsequent to a Cabinet Secretariat directive.

DoT has now received great response in this regard from telecom industry and its decision-making stakeholders that would play a crucial role in devising and applying new strategies in the coming years.

The department was being quested for identifying few auctioning slots for 20 MHz spectrum and launching 4G airwaves within this year, adoption of policies such as technology-neutral licensing regime, dismantling resources such as spectrum and numbering from licensing, renewal to be made on the basis of priority, and cutting of heavy costs on interconnection by reducing the present 22 telecom service areas.

Furthermore, the DoT was advised primarily to discuss the guidelines for stepping up telecom connectivity in villages by repealing additional airwaves, empower telecom companies to release surplus inoperative microwave and GSM spectrum.

In addition other suggestions such as developing ways for swift utilisation of USO funds for sprucing up dispersion of pan-India broadband and unveiling uniform norms for setting up of telecom towers and also encourage M&As along with pooling of spectrum to maximize economies of scale, on percentage basis of the total assigned airwaves in a particular circle.