Ministry of Communications had initiated a public consultative process to develop a modern and future-ready legal framework in telecommunication.

With 117 crore subscribers, India is the world’s second largest telecommunication ecosystem. The telecommunication sector employs more than 4 million people and contributes about 8% of the country’s GDP.

The existing regulatory framework for the telecommunication sector is based on the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885. The nature of telecommunication, its usage and technologies have undergone a massive change since the era of “telegraph”. The world stopped using “telegraph” in 2013.

In the past eight years, the Government has taken several initiatives for the growth of the telecommunication sector. It is in this context that we have taken up the initiative to restructure the legal and regulatory framework for the telecommunications sector.

The Bill will replace the existing legal framework governing telecommunication in India, comprising of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950.

In July 2022, a Consultation Paper on ‘Need for a new legal framework governing Telecommunication in India’ was published and comments were invited. Comments have been received from various stakeholders and industry associations.

Based on the consultations and deliberations, the Ministry has now prepared the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022. To facilitate further consultations, an Explanatory note to provide a brief overview of the Bill has also been prepared.

Citizens are invited to share their comments on the Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill 2022 on the MyGov Platform.

The draft Bill and Explanatory note can be accessed at https://dot.gov.in/relatedlinks/indian-telecommunication-bill-2022.

Last date of sending the comments on MyGov platform will be 20th October 2022.

Comments may also be sent on the email ID: naveen.kumar71@gov.in