Industry welcomes the new TRAI chief

Rahul Khullar, commerce secretary until last week, has taken over as the new chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Replacing JS Sarma, Khullar takes the charge at a time when the Indian telecommunication industry is not going through a smooth phase.

Keeping his performances in his prior assignments in mind, the telecom industry would be having lots of expectations from him and the entire telecom fraternity would be looking up to him. Khullar who was the trade and commerce secretary, has also been a key interlocutor in talks with Iran over oil imports in the past.

Voice & Data spoke to the stakeholders of the industry to know their expectations from this new head of the sector regulatory authority.

'Mr. Khullar has to play a role of Prime Mister's man Friday, he has a excellent track record and good negotiating capabilities. Bigger task is to play a and drive a middle path between govt and industry, and same time send a strong signal to the investment community in telecom sector which has been shaken after cancellation of 122 licenses by the Supreme Court of India at the same time keeping the consumer interest at the top,' said Anil Prakash, secretary general, ITU-APT Foundation of India.

'The presence of a strong telecom infrastructure and a viable operating environment are critical factors for achieving the double digit growth parameters the industry has been used to seeing. The declining financial health of the sector is a grave concern for the industry and we expect the Chairman to analyze its implications and formulate corrective policy recommendations accordingly,'said Rajan Mathews, Director General, COAI.

'Given the significant impact made by the telecom industry on India and its citizens, it becomes extremely important to ensure that the various issues currently being faced by the Industry are set right on a priority. Need of the hour is to have a long term vision for the Industry and then back it up with policies and procedures which encourage competition, attract fresh investments, promote customer choice, protect the interests of all stakeholders including the customers and at the same time also ensure a level playing field for both the new and the incumbent operators,' said Vsevolod Rozanov, president and CEO, MTS India.

'Dr. Khullar is taking over the position as the Telecom regulator at a time when the telecom industry is reeling under a crisis. With the cancellation of 122 licenses and the recommendations of TRAI not finding favour with the telecom operators, where the base price for auction of per MHz of spectrum is increased 10 times of what operators paid earlier, the sector is suddenly facing humongous challenges. Therefore,  we hope Dr. Khullar will address this issue on priority while taking over the coveted role and provide a stable and conducive regulatory environment for a bright future for the Indian Telecom Industry,' said A. Sethuraman, Executive Director, Huawei India.

" The telecom boom is an integral part of the India growth story. The need of the hour is regulations that foster innovation, balance revenue generation for the Government and affordability for citizens. It is also important to promote industry - government partnerships to realize the full potential of telecom as a force multiplier for enhancing productivity and inclusive growth in India,'said Naresh Wadhwa, president and country manager, Cisco India & South Asia.

'We welcome the appointment of Dr. Rahul Khullar as the new Chairman. His strong economic and commerce background credentials will bring a fresh perspective to a sector in transition; and needing to balance between remaining attractive to the international investors and addressing broader national infrastructure needs and revenues for the exchequer. His commerce experience also augurs well for MNCs that are leveraging or are keen on India as a global resource hub,' said Rajesh Janey, president, EMC India & SAARC.

 

"In our view, while immediate challenges exist, he needs to focus on the long term growth of the sector with a focus on greater transparency and clarity, that were key drivers of the industry in years," he added.

The successor to Dr Sarma is almost certain to be asked to use his discretion powers and come up with recommendations and consultation that works in industry favors at such crucial time when the clouds of uncertainty have been hovering over it . One of the top business orders for him would be to pacify the Indian telecom industry over the new spectrum guidelines. This may well turn out to be an impossible task, on issues like license cancellation leaving one section or another unhappy. But what is important is that the new chairperson is seen to be acting with in the benefit of the entire Indian telecom fraternity keeping with the spirit of the industry.

What the industry needs today is a voice which can take up the critical issues of the industry and who has the ability to take it to new heights and we hope that Khullar will certainly live up to his best of abilities and remove the needless strains of the Indian telecom industry.