Department of Telecommunications is readying a proposal to bring mobile tower companies under the licencing regime following government’s decision to allow 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in the telecom sector, official sources said.
Mobile tower companies, called IP-I in technical jargon, will have to pay 8 per cent licence fee on the revenue earned from telecom services if brought under the licencing regime. At present, they can operate by paying Rs 5,000 to register with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The DoT’s proposal will be placed before Telecom Commission, an inter-ministerial panel, the sources said, adding that if approved tower firms would have to obtain telecom licence for carrying out their operations.