To ensure growth of state-run telecom firms such as BSNL and MTNL, a Parliamentary panel, on Tuesday, asked the government to review the new equipment procurement guidelines, which are causing delays in network expansion.
The panel said that while the growth in the telecom sector had been stupendous in the last five years, the share of state-run telecom operators had declined from 34.69 per cent at the end of 2007 to 14.42 per cent at the end of July, 2011. “It is not clear how the government is citing its own guidelines as a reason for declining market share of public telecom service providers.
“If there are any restrictive aspects in its guidelines, it is for the government to review the guidelines and make appropriate modifications,” the report of the Committee on Estimates tabled in Parliament said.
