DoT amends norms for spectrum cap and payments, in line with cabinet decision

DoT has amended telecom licence norms to extend the payment tenure for auctioned airwaves from 10 years to 16 years and has also eased the spectrum holding caps in line with the recent cabinet decision. It has scrapped the earlier 50 per cent cap on intra-band airwaves of carriers, but has imposed a fresh 50 per cent limit on an operator’s combined airwave holdings in sub-1 GHz bands (700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz). Further, DoT noted that there would be no cap on individual or combined holdings of airwaves in bands above 1 GHz.