DoT issues LoI to 60 firms for VNO licence

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued letters of intent to 60 firms, including Ritz Communication, Ambica Telecom Service, AXN Telecom, Ratna Telenet, AIMR Communication and Richa Telecom, for a virtual network operator (VNO) licence. DoT had notified the VNO policy in March 2016 to allow operators to monetise unused airwaves and infrastructure. Almost 70 firms had expressed interest in VNO permits at the local level while 10 companies had applied for national licences under the policy.