DoT to check evasion of fees by operators

The Department of Telecom is in the process of working out new guidelines for revenue calculations of operators having multiple licences, including for Internet services, to check licence fee evasion.

"There is a need of issuing guidelines to such service providers on apportioning the revenues earned from the Internet customers towards the usage of NLD network ...," said an internal DoT note.

Some integrated players are found to be showing lower revenues under licences on which they have to pay higher licence fee so that they end up paying lesser dues to the government, said a DoT official.

The new guidelines will focus on segregation of cost and revunue of the operators in more strict manner, he said.

Operators are required to pay six per cent of their income from long-distance services, while they do not have to pay any share of revenue earned from Internet services.

Recently, the telecom ministry had found that Dishnet Wireless has not shown income earned from selling its NLD infrastructure to the ISP business division.

A spokesperson of Dishnet Wireless said his company has abided by all the rules and regulation of the government.

At present, operators having more than one licences - unified access (mobile and fixed), NLD, ILD and ISP-- give the consolidated income of the group.