End to spam calls, quicker 5G rollout, satellite internet soon: How new telecom bill benefits you

The Telecommunications Bill 2023, which has been tabled in Parliament, excludes over-the-top services, such as online messaging and streaming services, from its purview.

The Centre has tabled the Telecommunications Bill 2023 in the Lok Sabha in what is being seen as one of the major policy overhauls ahead of the end of the Narendra Modi-led government's second term.

The legislation replaces three archaic laws — the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933, and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950 — that presently govern the country's telecom sector.

One of the primary goals of the legislation is to protect and benefit the consumers, Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stressed during its drafting stage. Here's a look at how this bill intends to achieve the objective.

Prevent fraud

The legislation includes a provision mandating biometric identification by telecom companies before issuing SIM cards to consumers. Experts said this eliminates the scope of fraud and authenticates the subscriber's identity.

The bill proposes to make it punishable for acquiring SIM fraudulently using someone else's identity proof. It also empowers telecom consumers to protect themselves from unsolicited messages, reducing the scope of financial fraud.

Furthermore, the legislation proposes a legal framework for cybersecurity, which is intended to strengthen the existing mechanism to fight cyber fraud.

End to spam calls, texts

Under the proposed law, the registration of "Do Not Disturb" or DND will get a legal mandate. The move aims to guard consumers against spam or unsolicited commercial messages and calls.

The legislation has a provision that requires consumers' prior consent to be taken to send them advertising and promotional messages for goods and services and soliciting financial investments.

Firms that violate the norms by making such communications, despite the user not granting his consent, would be liable for a penalty of Rs 50,000 in the first instance. According to the bill, the fine will go up to Rs 2 lakh for each subsequent violation.

Accelerate 5G rollout

The new bill seeks to expedite the laying of telecom infrastructure through the right-of-way (RoW) reforms. This, in turn, will lead to faster rollout of 5G across the country, experts said.

Through RoW provisions, the bill lays down the norms for establishing common ducts in infrastructure projects for the expansion of telecommunication networks.

If the infrastructure is being laid on public property, the permission is to be given in a time-bound manner, the bill proposed. In case it's private property, a mutual agreement is required between the owner and the person who wants to set up the telecom network.

"The proposed reform on RoW is yet another seminal move that is set to accelerate the rollout of telecom infrastructure, including 5G in the country. The move will provide the necessary enforceability of central RoW rules at the local level," Bharti Airtel managing director and chief executive (India) Gopal Vittal said.

Also read: All you need to know about the Indian Telecommunications Bill 2023

Quicker satellite internet launch

The government, via the new telecom bill, has proposed to allocate spectrum to satellite companies without auction, a global norm for assigning spectrum to entities.

The move is expected to allow Bharti Group-backed One Web, Elon Musk's Starlink, Reliance's Jio Satellite Communication and Amazon's Project Kuiper to expedite the launch of satellite internet services.

The rollout of satellite internet is expected to significantly boost internet access in remote parts of the country.

Grievance redressal

The bill also mentions that an authorised entity providing telecommunication services will have to establish an online mechanism to enable users to register any grievance pertaining to the telecommunication service and redress such grievances.