DoT Issues Draft Authorisation Rules Under The Telecommunications Act, 2023 - A New Paradigm For Telecom Services

On 5 September 2025, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued the Draft Telecommunication (Authorisation for Provision of Main Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2025 (Draft Rules) under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

Following up on the recommendations provided by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in September 2024, the Draft Rules seek to consolidate various licenses and service authorisations under a single authorisation framework. While the prevailing Unified License (UL) framework follows a similar approach, the differentiating element here is the form of the license/ authorisation. As opposed to a voluminous license agreement (which is a contract between DoT and licensee), the 'authorisation' will be a single-page document granted by DoT, incorporating by reference the provisions of the relevant rules (once notified). In terms of the overall structure, the Draft Rules have been built upon the UL format, which lays down a set