Unified licensing regime to be implemented in November

The chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Pradip Baijal, says the new Unified Licensing/ Authorisation Regime (ULAR) is expected to enter into force next month, a year after the first phase of unified licensing – for all fixed line and cellular providers – was implemented. To the consternation of many private operators, the TRAI has been slow to establish the new ULAR regulatory framework, but Mr Baijal says that the agency’s cautious approach was necessary, given that the new regime could radically alter the complexion of the entire industry.