Telecom Commission approves deferring spectrum payment to 16 years

The Telecom Commission has approved a request by telecom companies to defer payment dues by 16 years, sources told CNBC-TV18.

The telcos, at the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) meet, had made a proposal for deferring the payment by 16 years and for the Prime Lending Rate (PLR) regime to change to a Marginal Cost of funds-based Lending rate (MCLR) one. These proposals were referred to the Law Ministry.

Sources told CNBC-TV18 that the PLR to MCLR shift proposal is likely to be finalised for changing the regime to MCLR and 400 bps.

The National Telecom Policy Draft, which will contain the roadmap for the telcos will be laid out on November 30, and the National Telecom Policy will be issued from March 2018.

The policy will pertain to healthy competition among telcos, consumer rights, among others.