TRAI floats paper on applying SUC on spectrum sharing by telcos

NEW DELHI : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday floated a consultation paper for changes in calculation and application of spectrum usage charge (SUC) paid by telecom companies for sharing of airwaves.

“…if SUC rate is left unchanged post sharing of spectrum, the TSPs would be more willing to use spectrum sharing to improve their network in areas having congestion and to also fix coverage issues. Therefore, it may be necessary to revisit the application and treatment of SUC post sharing of spectrum,” Trai said in its consultation paper.

The consultation paper is aimed at facilitating more spectrum sharing among operators so as to improve efficiency of network and reduce congestion while keeping costs low.