Candidates should be included corporations assembly fairness and internet price thresholds, whereas blacklisted entities stay ineligible. Licences can be legitimate for 20 years, with strict compliance obligations on cybersecurity, lawful interception, KYC norms, and emergency continuity.
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The Centre has unveiled draft guidelines for licensing of core telecom companies below the Telecommunications Act, 2023, marking a significant step in overhauling the regulatory framework for India’s communications sector.
Based on the notification revealed within the Gazette of India on September 5, the draft, titled Telecommunication (Licensing of Core Telecommunication Companies) Guidelines, 2025, has been opened for public session. Objections and strategies have been invited inside 30 days and will be submitted to the Joint Secretary (Telecom), Ministry of Communications.
4 broad courses of telecom companies outlined
The foundations search to carry readability to licensing norms by categorising telecom companies into 4 broad courses: core telecom companies, area of interest companies, captive companies and broadcasting. Throughout the core phase, 4 kinds of licences are proposed—unified service licence, entry service licence (each wi-fi and wireline), web service licence, and long-distance communication licence.
The doc carries elaborate definitions of companies and applied sciences—starting from spectrum and provider companies to web telephony, machine-to-machine communication, digital community operators and cloud-hosted networks. It additionally units down the framework for a way these companies are to be licensed, regulated and interconnected.
Eligibility standards, fairness/internet price thresholds set
To qualify for a licence, candidates should be included corporations below the Firms Act and meet prescribed thresholds for paid-up fairness and internet price. International direct funding can be topic to prevailing legal guidelines, and entities blacklisted for regulatory violations or with excellent dues is not going to be eligible except cleared.
The draft guidelines suggest that licences will initially be legitimate for 20 years, with provision for renewal. Licensed operators can be below an obligation to stick to nationwide safety necessities, together with cyber safety safeguards, lawful interception, buyer verification via KYC norms, and knowledge safety guidelines. They have to additionally guarantee continuity of companies in emergencies and supply entry to legislation enforcement companies when required.
A key characteristic is the popularity of digital community operators, permitting corporations to offer telecom companies with out proudly owning the underlying infrastructure. This, specialists say, might open up the market to smaller gamers and spur competitors. The framework additionally addresses captive networks meant for industrial and enterprise use, however clarifies that these can’t be provided commercially.
New guidelines change Telegraph Act of 1885
The draft marks the transition to a modernised licensing regime, changing provisions of the colonial-era Telegraph Act of 1885. It goals to streamline operations, encourage funding and innovation, whereas tightening oversight on problems with safety and compliance.
The federal government has emphasised that strategies from trade, client teams and different stakeholders can be thought-about earlier than finalising the principles. As soon as notified, the brand new licensing system is predicted to form the subsequent part of India’s telecom progress, with implications for service suppliers, know-how companies and shoppers alike.
Revealed on September 8, 2025