In a bid to encourage cellular operators to expand their coverage in rural areas, the Indian Department of Telecom (DoT) is working on a scheme, which may allow operators to contribute only 2 per cent of their annual revenues to the Universal Services Obligation fund.

As per DoT scheme, operators who cover below 50 per cent of the district will continue to pay 5 per cent of their revenues. Those who complete 70 per cent will get 1 per cent rebate, while those who cover 90 per cent of the district blocks will have to pay 3 per cent of their revenues to the USO fund. As per the licence condition, mobile operators are required to provide network coverage in each block of a district in a circle. The obligation also stipulates that the coverage should be available within buildings. Recently DoT had issued show cause notice to seven operators with a suggested penalty of about INR 450 crore for not fulfilling the roll-out conditions.

Be a part of Elets Collaborative Initiatives. Join Us for Upcoming Events and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook , connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter, Instagram.

"Exciting news! Elets technomedia is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest insights!" Click here!