The telecom department (DoT) has notified guidelines for spectrum regulatory sandbox and Wireless Test Zones to allow entities, including educational institutions, telcos and network manufacturers, to test their equipment by paying a notional amount and doing registration.
The department also scrapped operating licence requirements for establishing, maintaining, or working on telecommunications, including radio equipment, in a move designed to save time for telecom service providers.
“Let’s say, a college design a new equipment which requires spectrum to be used for testing. Instead of coming to DoT for a license and a number of license conditions and a series of other requirements, can we create a very simple construct in which the college simply logs in through a portal and everything that needs to be done is done by paying a token amount of Rs 1000,” said Union Telecom and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the India Mobile Congress curtain raiser event in New Delhi.
The minister said that the government will introduce more reforms in the coming days and has asked the telecom industry to suggest reform ideas.
The sandbox guidelines aim to improve 'ease of doing business' and promote 'Make in India' in wireless products. The telecom department said that the sandbox will help develop technology for utilising and improving the efficiency of greenfield spectrum bands.
The spectrum regulatory sandbox will also facilitate access to research and development opportunities.
The telecom department has categorised WiTe Zones into two categories for experimentation in unassigned and assigned spectrum bands. In the first category, experiments can be done in all the vacant frequency bands and established on campuses in urban or populated areas. In contrast, in the other category, test zones can be established only in uninhabited, remote areas.
Academia, R&D labs, telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, central and state government departments, etc, can test equipment leveraging the sandbox.
The department also simplified the process; applicants can easily apply through the Saral Sanchar portal.
The government has also abolished the Wireless Operating License (WOL) requirement for licensees under section 4 of the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885. Removing WoL requirements simplifies the licensing process and saves time for telecom service providers.
It said no separate WoL is needed to establish, maintain, or work in telecommunications, including radio equipment.
"The launch of regulatory sandbox and the abolishment of Wireless Operating License are just a few reforms that can unleash telecom's potential. We hope we will have many reforms to come. The government will also have a light-touch approach so that the sector grows on its own," said Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications, noting that the telecom sector contributes nearly 10% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Vaishnaw said the India Mobile Congress will be held from 15 to 19 October this year. He encouraged industry collaboration with organizations like Nasscom and MAIT to expand the event's scope.
With a target of 1,000 exhibitors, the event aims to spotlight cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and the circular economy, along with advancements in 5G and 6G, cloud and edge computing, Internet of Things (IoT), semiconductors, cybersecurity, green tech, satcom, and electronics manufacturing.
The minister added that the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA 2024) will convene in India from 15 to 24 October 2024, preceded by the Global Standards Symposium (GSS 2024) on 14 October in the national capital.
This assembly, organized by the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union, is held every four years to outline the standardization programme for the forthcoming period. The convening of the assembly in India underscores the country's crucial role in guiding the development of emerging technologies such as 6G, IoT, and AI.
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