Govt to unveil National Telecom Policy in January, 2012

The much-awaited National Telecom Policy-2011, will be unveiled in January next year, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said on Friday.

The policy was earlier expected to be unveiled by December this year, but delays in receiving recommendations have pushed the date to next year.

"The (draft) policy I have already announced as I had committed. Industry wants some more time to respond, we will give them time. All what will happen is finalisation of the policy will happen in January instead of December," Sibal said in New Delhi at an event.

He added that Trai's recommendations on the National Telecom Policy have just come in and the Department of Telecom is looking into the same.

"The Trai recommendations have just come, we will consider them, call Telecom Commission (meet)... move to Cabinet," Sibal said.

Sibal said the media is confusing between Trai's recommendations and the Telecom Policy.

"People must understand the difference between policy and Trai's recommendation. The Trai recommendations deal with the nitty-gritty of mergers and acquisition and all the other specific issues which never go in to policy," Sibal said.

The draft of the National Telecom Policy, 2011, was announced by Sibal in early October with a major thrust on transparency, an improved investment climate and promotion of consumer interest.

Under the draft plan, the Telecom Ministry is also looking to facilitate nation-wide free roaming, frame an exit policy for operators to surrender licences, give a push to indigenous manufacturing and promote an eco-system for development of a self-dependent telecom industry.