New Delhi: TRAI chief Rahul Khullar on Tuesday is expected to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee that is looking into the 2G spectrum scam. This is in connection with the Telecom regulator's recommendations to the government which Telecom companies are pressuring the government to nullify.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had last month suggested an auction starting price that is nearly 10 times of what carriers had paid in a 2008 state grant process and also proposed limited number of slots in the auction.
The 2G scandal was over alleged below-market-price sale of lucrative telecoms permits bundled with airwaves, which a state auditor estimated to have cost the government as much as $34 billion in lost revenue. Police have charged a total 19 people, including a former telecoms minister who had presided over the permit sale, and six companies in the case and their trial is ongoing.
However, the regulator's proposals for the auction have been slammed by the telecoms industry, who say it will add billions of dollars to their costs, hurting profits, and will force them to increase tariffs for their customers.
With additional information from Reuters:
Comments
0 comment