Department of Telecom abolishes NOCC charges for all telecom licence holders

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To enhance ease of doing business, the Department of Telecom has removed network operation and control centre charges for the use of space segments for all services like VSAT, satellite telephony etc for which permits are issued by the department. The DoT earlier levied Rs 21 lakh per transponder per annum for 36 megahertz of spectrum on a pro-rata basis as NOCC charges.

Besides this, the department also levied NOCC charges of Rs 6,000 for every trial of antenna that are used for receiving and transmitting signals. "There shall be no NOCC charges for use of space segment for all DoT licensees for commercial and captive VSAT services, GMPCS (satellite phone service), NLD (national long distance) and other telecom licensees having unified licence or standalone license. This order shall be effective from April 1, 2022," DoT said in an order dated May 6.

The Network Operations Control Center was created under the DoT to control the transmissions from ground segment (satellite earth stations) along with the master control facility under Department of Space to manage the operation of satellites in orbit. Satellite industry body ISPA director general Ashok Bhatt said that the DoT has amended the Unified License to allow satellite-based IoT services, land mobility services and also the removal of NOCC monitoring charges.

"We believe that these progressive policy steps are in the right direction and showcase the government's commitment in supporting the growth of digital communication by leveraging the potential and capability of the satellite communication industry. We also thank TRAI for their vision, support and positive recommendations for the growing space sector," Bhatt said. He said that the industry is hopeful that this measure is just the beginning and the first of many reform measures for the sector.

"We also look forward to the continued support of the Department of Space and INSPACe to make India's space sector an attractive investment destination," Bhatt said.