These days the internet has become a primary source for information for a large number of people. Maintaining an online presence has also become a basic necessity for any firm or establishment. However, an industry body in India known as ISPAI (Internet Service Providers Association of India) has said that the rates for internet subscription might go up under a new licenses framework.
Internet prices could go up due to the high entry fee which has been proposed by the Indian Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The department has proposed to charge a one-time entry fee of Rs. 15 crore for a national-level unified license, as compared to a Rs. 30 lakh license which companies normally pay for such internet services .
Rajesh Charia, the president of ISPAI said, “DoT has not done anything new as per the proposed format for Unified Licence regime. They are going ahead with option to continue the old licence format along with a new national level Unified Licence (UL) that will cost Rs 15 crore.” Charia added that if the Internet Service Providers opt for UL then the cost of an internet subscription might go up.
According to the new licensing regime, the DoT must allow for internet telephony, which will lead to a low-cost call service, which will benefit even the rural areas of the country, where the illiteracy rates are high.
