Broadband tariffs may go UP

theserpent

theserpent

Firecracker to the moon
The tariffs of broadband and internet services in India could be heading skywards soon, if the proposed license structure is implemented. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed a one-time license fee of Rs 15 crore, as compared to the Rs 30 lakh that is applicable at present.

“If internet service providers opt for the UL, then the cost of internet and broadband services will go up," said Rajesh Charia, President of Internet Service Provider Association of India (ISPAI).

Under the proposed licensing regime, DoT will allow service providers to offer internet telephony (VoIP- Voice over Internet Protocol) service, which will help offer low cost call services in rural areas. In 2010, private players - Reliance Infotel Broadband, Tikona Digital and Augere, had won BWA spectrum, and the committee has given the recommendation the ISPs with wireless broadband spectrum (BWA) be allowed to provide voice telephony service, but has left it to the higher authorities to take a call on whether these companies need to pay the Rs 1650 crore extra.

The government has given the option of continuing with the old license format, which runs in parallel with the new national level UL that will cost Rs 15 crore. All licensees who wish to offer any additional services will have to migrate to a unified license. For example, Reliance Infotel had acquired Wireless Broadband Spectrum (BWA) spectrum and an ISP license in 2010. But the company will have to pay Rs 1,650 crore if it wants to offer voice services using this spectrum. The existing license does not allow that.
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Broadband tariffs may go up under new proposed license framework - Internet | ThinkDigit News
 
anirbandd

anirbandd

Conversation Architect
oh dear.. i am not surrendering my crap BSNL anymore... 500/mnth with 2-8am unlimited @2Mbps. its good.. :p
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
Need moar moooneeey hurrrr,

*i.imgur.com/fwCqBso.png

For the sake of not getting arrested I'm not naming the characters, but feel free so imagine their names ;)
 
KDroid

KDroid

Cyborg Agent
Huh? I had recently read that they may go down. They were planning to abolish the service tax on broadband. :|

Abolish service tax on broadband services: DoT | Business Standard
 
harshilsharma63

harshilsharma63

DIY FTW!
When will the government understand that facilities like internet are a major requirement for the development of socity? Better internet=easier access to quality content=no tension from crapy teachers=better education.
 
pranav0091

pranav0091

I am not an Owl
Technically VoIP is just voice data piggybacking on normal internet data right?
Why should the providers pay more for the spectrum they have already bought ?
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
pranav0091 said:
Technically VoIP is just voice data piggybacking on normal internet data right?
Why should the providers pay more for the spectrum they have already bought ?
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Because if you use VOIP you do not have to pay to the government for calls and hence they lose revenue, they want to tax you for every call you make, doesn't matter over phone or over internet.
 
kg11sgbg

kg11sgbg

Indian Railways - The Vibrant and Moving INDIA
@TDF Friends,it is meant to curb our freedoms.If the tariffs soar up,how many would go to cybercafes or how many of us(exceptions aside)would bear the financial pressure(bill) as an important priority in our daily lives...???????????
 
pranav0091

pranav0091

I am not an Owl
tkin said:
Because if you use VOIP you do not have to pay to the government for calls and hence they lose revenue, they want to tax you for every call you make, doesn't matter over phone or over internet.
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Yes, true. What I mean is that these service providers have already bought the spectrum, so why should they be paying any more money now just because they want to offer VoIP?

Because this burden is only going o be offloaded on the shoulders of the users which in turn would mean that the service wont exactly be cheap and in that case the whole argument of cheap VoIP calls is lost. I mean, cellular calls in India are already amongst the cheapest anywhere in the world apparently, so any service that is "cheap" has to be cheaper than that. And this move by the govt, if enforced, might fill the government coffers with a little more money for some corrupt politician to gobble but not help anyone else. :|
 
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