‘Competition must for Indian telecom sector’: Telecom Min Scindia
New Delhi: India’s telecom sector must remain competitive and cannot be reduced to just two major players, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on the occasion of World WiFi Day, stressing the government’s commitment to fostering fair competition across industries.
Addressing an event in Delhi on June 24, Scindia said new guidelines to delicence the 6 GHz band—seen as crucial for next-gen wireless connectivity—will be notified ahead of Independence Day, according to a Moneycontrol report.
The move is part of the government’s broader effort to expand access and encourage deeper competition in the sector.
“It’s not good enough having a duopoly or one carrier or two carriers. India must have competition in every sector,” Scindia was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol. “India today is probably the only country in the world with such competition in the ISP space.”
His remarks come amid concerns over Vodafone Idea’s financial stability.
The debt-laden telecom operator is seeking relief from the Department of Telecommunications over its pending adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues amounting to ₹84,000 crore, warning that without support, it may not survive.
The minister also highlighted plans to assign spectrum to satellite communication operators through administrative allocation, in a push to improve digital inclusion.
“We are also looking at the sky and satellite. LEO and MEO both have become today a reality in India,” he said. “Three licenses are being given out, and those areas that were never connected will become connected.”
Scindia further called on chip manufacturers and device makers to help make digital access more affordable, cautioning against the emergence of a new form of inequality. “We cannot allow devices to become the new digital divide in our country,” he said.
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