Introduction
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has kickstarted
a comprehensive consultation paper seeking stakeholder comments on
the ‘Framework for Service Authorisations to be granted
under the Telecommunications Act, 2023' (TRAI CP).
Background
In December 2023, the Government enacted the Telecommunications
Act, 2023 (Telecom Act) and has recently issued notifications
bringing into effect limited provisions of the Telecom Act. The
TRAI CP comes at a pivotal juncture, when the Government is looking
to transform the telecom landscape in India. In terms of Section
3(1)(a) of the Telecom Act, an ‘authorisation' (i.e., a
permission by whatever name called) is required to: (a) provide
telecom services; (b) establish, operate, maintain or expand a
telecom network; or (c) possess a radio equipment. In this light
the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) made a reference to TRAI
on 21 June 2024 seeking its recommendations for such service
authorisations
