The much-awaited National Telecom Policy 2011 will be brought by the government of India in January next year, said telecom minister Kapil Sibal. The policy was earlier expected to be unveiled by the end of this year, but due to delays in receiving recommendations, the government had to push the date to next year.
Sibal said, “I have announced the (draft) policy as committed. The industry has asked for some more time to respond. We have decided to give them time. Finalisation of the policy will happen in January instead of December.”
Commenting on TRAI’s recommendation on the National Telecom Policy, he said that they have just come in and the Department of Telecom is analysing them.
He said that the media is confusing between TRAI’s recommendations and the Telecom Policy. According to a media report, Sibal said, “People must understand the difference between policy and TRAI’s recommendations. TRAI’s recommendations deal with the nitty-gritty of mergers and acquisitions and all the other specific issues which never go into policy.”
It is worth mentioning here that the draft of the National Telecom Policy 2011 was announced in early October with a major thrust on transparency, an improved investment climate and promotion of consumer interest.
