High spectrum would lead to rise in mobile services rates and adversely impact government's Digital India initiative by impeding telecom network expansion, industry said on Thursday.
"High reserve prices will adversely impact the business viability of the operators ... It will lead to increased tariffs, thereby hurting the government's targets of affordability, rural penetration and Digital India," industry body COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said in a letter to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
COAI said that telecom operators are reeling under debt burden of Rs 2.5 lakh crore. The association is learnt to have written same to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra.