By IANS,
New Delhi : Promising a level playing field for all telecom operators, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal Thursday said he wanted growth in the sector and not politics.
“We will ensure a level playing field for all telecom operators,” Sibal told reporters on the sidelines of the India Telecom 2010 summit here.
His response came to questions on the opposition demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the allocation of 2G spectrum that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India says has caused a notional loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.
The scam also cost then communictions minister A. Raja his job. On Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residences of Raja and his former ministerial aides to unearth details about the scam.
Also on Wednesday, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a petition seeking its monitoring of the CBI probe into the 2G spectrum controversy.
Parliament was adjourned for the 20th successive day Thursday on the spectrum issue, with the government ruling out a JPC probe and saying the issue could be debated in the house.
“They (Bharatiya Janata Party) are looking at the (general) elections (of 2014). They are not concerned about the telecom sector,” Sibal said.
The minister also emphasised on the importance of broadband, specially in rural areas, and proposed measures such as differential tariffs, wherein rural subscribers can be given free access.
Sibal said that telecom was a vehicle of empowerment and not a sector to squeeze money from.
He also talked of ensuring enough competition to bring down tariffs.
According to a report “Broadband for All” by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and accounting firm KPMG, the broadband sector is expected to grow tremendously as over 650 million potential customers are waiting to be tapped.
It also said that the rural areas are the key target market and are likely to drive the next round of growth for telcos, particularly for voice based services.
With over 17 million mobile subscribers added per month over the past year, India is ranked amongst the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world.