Spectrum fee relief likely

Telecom regulator Trai has said operators need to pay 0.5 per cent extra service usage charge (SUC) only on the shared spectrum and not on all the spectrum band in a telecom circle.

The telcos had been pushing the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to restrict the SUC levy. The DoT in January had asked Trai to reconsider its 2020 recommendations.

The DoT, citing a cabinet decision, had said that a telco should pay an incremental SUC of 0.5 per cent for entire spectrum holdings in a licensed service area, in case of sharing.