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- At present only spectrum trading and intra-band spectrum sharing are permitted.
- Spectrum refers to the radio frequencies allocated to the mobile industry and other sectors for communication over the airwaves.
- Telecommunications Act, 2023 provided that the Central Government may permit the sharing, trading, leasing and surrender of assigned spectrum.
- These recommendations are on the Department of Telecommunications proposal to allow sharing of all kinds of telecom infrastructure and network elements.
- Issues Relating to Sharing and Leasing of Spectrum: distinction between active and passive infrastructure sharing, ambiguities in provisions related to sharing of infrastructure, etc.
- Active infrastructure refers to electronic infrastructure, while passive refers to non-electronic infrastructure.
- Recommendations made by TRAI
- Licensees should be allowed to share the passive infrastructure such as building, tower etc.
- Infrastructure built using Digital Bharat Nidhi should be mandated to allow roaming to other service providers in remote areas for 3 years.
- Spectrum leasing and inter-band spectrum sharing should also be permitted for efficient utilization of scarce spectrum.
- Significance of the recommendations
- Will help telecom companies in improving their cost efficiencies and time to market.
- Will help in extending services to underserved areas.
- Eases the connectivity issues faced by the subscribers.
About Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
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