Telecom Lead India: Maxis Communications chief executive
officer and Aircel director Sandip Das has expressed his displeasure on
regulatory and policy uncertainties in Indian mobile market.
Highlights of the interview appeared in Economic Times.
Malaysia’s Maxis Communications has warned that
regulatory and policy uncertainties could completely destroy the business case
of telecom companies.
The company opposed the recent proposal by the telecom ministry that mandates
existing operators to match the auction determined price for all airwaves they
hold for the remaining period of their licences.
There is a need for full-fledged network sharing – physical infrastructure and
core active components. This is the only viable option to take data and
wireless internet to the masses.
Long-term business plans of mobile companies, including Aircel, are based on
certain outlays, and proposal to slap a one-time spectrum fee on existing
companies could change this equation.
Telecom investors in India are worried because of uncertainty.
Aircel may have to shell out up to Rs 15,000 crore if the
panel of ministers on spectrum and the Cabinet were to endorse the DoT’s
spectrum pricing proposal.
Additional investments will disrupt business case for a company that has
recently put in $2 billion in the 3G and 4G auctions. Aircel has already
invested $5 billion in rolling out 2G networks.
Aircel says the alleged scam and related issues have made
everybody extremely tentative in taking steps forward which are bold.
