Question : REVISION IN TELECOM POLICY

(a) whether the Government has received any proposal from the Telecommunications Industry Association of the United States of America to revise the telecom policy;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the criteria laid down in telecom policy regarding licence application fees, capitalisation requirement and bank guarantee;

(d) whether the Government has made any commitment under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement regarding the said proposal and if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether there is any reservation for electronic procurement from domestic manufacturers in the telecom policy; and

(f) if so, the total percentage of electronic procurement reserved for domestic industry?

THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) No, Madam.

(b) Doesn’t arise in view of (a) above.

(c) No criteria regarding licence application fees, capitalisation requirement and bank guarantee is laid down in the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012.

(d) No, Madam.

(e) & (f) The NTP 2012 seeks to notify guidelines for according preference to domestically manufactured telecommunication equipment and products either for reasons of security or for Government procurement in accordance with relevant government decisions and policies in this regard. Accordingly, every ministry /department (except ministry of defence) and the agencies under their administrative control have been mandated to procure a minimum percentage ( ranging from 50 to 100) of their requirement of 23 specified telecom products from domestic manufacturers fulfilling minimum value addition prescribed against each of them as given in the Annexure. The preference to domestically manufactured telecom products would only be applicable in Government procurement for its own use and not with a view to commercial resale or use in the production of goods for commercial sale.