New Delhi. Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday discussed the roadmap for growth of the telecom industry with Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Airtel Founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal and Vodafone Idea Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Akshay Mundra. This was the first meeting of telecom giants with Scindia during the third term of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Also, this was the first meeting of the minister with telecom heads after the increase in tariff of mobile telecom services by 10-27 per cent.
During the meeting, Scindia discussed ways to promote the development of the telecom sector in a collaborative manner while safeguarding the interests of consumers and the nation. He said that the Telecom Ministry will work on an action plan within a fixed time frame on the issues identified during discussions with telecom operators and other stakeholders in the sector. He held meetings with three of the six committees of his ministry.
After the meeting, Scindia told reporters, “We have identified a deep agenda for these committees. Now the members of these committees and we will work together.” Industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General SP Kochar was also present in the meeting of the Advisory Committee of Telecom Service Providers. Scindia said that there are different programs for the first presentation of these committees, which will take place in the next few weeks.
He said, “After this we will consider each individual issue, look deeply into the details and prepare an action plan, timeline and actionable points to move the industry forward.” According to sources, the discussion lasted for about half an hour, in which the minister indicated that the interest of the customers should be at the center of the development of the telecom sector. A source said, “All three private companies supported the minister. Sunil Bharti Mittal appreciated the minister’s initiative to engage with the industry.” The minister also met representatives of Internet service providers and the infrastructure committee as well as academics and representatives of the Research and Development Committee.