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Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that the government maintained its stance on SIM binding rules, prioritising national security over revenue implications.
Speaking to the media off camera, the Minister clarified that there was "no thought on relaxing the mandatory logout of web sessions beyond six hours." He noted that the "rules stood as they were" and the "logout requirement was only meant for virtual connections rather than direct connections on phones." As per Scindia, security issues took precedence on national interest grounds when weighed against potential revenue impacts. Regarding the timelines for the next spectrum auction, the Minister confirmed that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had submitted its recommendations. He said that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) would take a view on the matter. The department was expected to come out with recommendations across various spectrum bands and reserve pricing. Scindia noted that these "recommendations would be evaluated and the specific timeline would be released at a later date." The Minister also addressed the progress of satellite spectrum allocation, stating that he is "eager to start satellite services in India." He explained that the initiation of these services depended on the responsibility of fixing the price of spectrum assignment and ensuring all security compliances were fulfilled. He mentioned that when both conditions were met, the spectrum could be allocated. Scindia said that the government was "doing its best to get that spectrum assignment price on board," and the effort was currently underway to get it done. On the matter of Adjusted Gross Revenue relief being sought by other telecommunications companies, Scindia stated that the Department of Telecommunications was operating under the Supreme Court verdict with respect to Vodafone Idea. He also noted that "any other telecommunications operator who had a desire for similar relief could take the same route." (ANI)
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