The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued its reply on a bank-raveness received from the Department of Telecommunications on the 'Telecom Drawing sharing, spectrum sharing and spectrum leasing' dated 24.04.2024.

Earlier, the Department of Telecommunications had requested TRAI to provide recommendations about allowing to share core network elements like MSc, HLR, IN etc. among telecom operators through reference to 07.12.2021 under Section 11 (1) (A) of the TRAI Act, 1997. Subsequently, the Department of Telecommunications, through a reference to 10.02.2022, informed, referring to its earlier reference to 07.12.2021, that “To promote optimal resource usage among licenses, the Indian Telegraph Act 4 of the Indian Telegraph Act 4 of 1885 to promote optimal resource usage, to promote optimal resource usage among the licenses, all categories of telecommunications among all categories of license among all categories of licensed service providers under Section 4 of 1885. It is proposed to allow the structures and network elements to share ”, and requested TRAI to provide recommendations on the subject.

Considering the request of stakeholders to allow inter-bond spectrum sharing and permission to lease the spectrum in the country, the authority decided to raise issues to infrastructure sharing in consultation with stakeholders as well as spectrum sharing and spectrum lease issues.

Following comprehensive consultation with stakeholders, TRAI sent his recommendations on 24.04.2024 on the 'Telecom infrastructure sharing, share spectrum sharing and spectrum lease' to the Department of Telecommunications on 24.04.2024.

Subsequently, according to a back-reference on 13.02.2025, the Department of Telecommunications informed TRAI that according to Section 11 (1) of the TRAI Act 1997 (amended), on 24.04.2024, 'Telecom infrastructure sharing, spectrum sharing and spectrum leasing' has reached such a recommendation, where the government has appeared on such a recommendation. The recommendations cannot be accepted or may require amendment, they are being sent back to TRAI for reconsideration.

In this regard, after carefully investigation, TRAI has sent its reply to the Department of Telecommunications on back-references. The reaction to TRAI's back-references is also placed on the TRAI website (www.trai.gov.in).