Govt banks on auction, customer-centric moves for telecom

Terming the year 2012 as most challenging year that the telecom industry in India has faced since its inception, GSM industry body COAI's Director General Rajan S Mathews said the judgement by apex court "heightened the prevailing regulatory uncertainty in the sector" and was "big blows to the financial health, sustainability of the industry".

Global telecom industry body GSM Association's Director General Anne Bouverot said result of recent 2G spectrum auction was a snapshot of investors mood towards India telecom industry and in current global economic slowdown scenario.

"You do see foreign acquisitions and investments in mobile. Its just changing and clearly its not focussed on India now when it was very much focussed on India in the past," Bouverot said.

According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, foreign investment inflows in the sector plunged to USD 43 million in the April-September period of the current fiscal compared to USD 1.9 billion it attracted in April- September 2011.

In the ongoing financial year, the government is learnt to be gearing up for another auction with plan garner at least around Rs 39,895 crore from the airwaves to meet budgeted target of Rs 40,000 crore.

The government is of the view that National Telecom Policy 2012 will provide stable regime for in the sector for at least next decade.

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