In order to generate additional revenues from 2G spectrum, the government has decided to charge a fee of 1-2 percent of mobile operators. The government has also decided to levy a one-time charge for spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz radio frequency.

The government has also made it clear that the operators with more than 8 Mhz spectrum will have to pay an additional 2 per cent of their revenues to the Government annually. Those with less than 8 Mhz will have to pay one per cent more than what they already give to the Government as spectrum charges. Currently, the maximum spectrum charge being paid by mobile operators is four per cent of their annual revenue. This will now go up to six per cent.

Speaking on this, Akshay Rout, additional director general of media and communications, said, “The modalities, including the timeline, will be decided by the telecom commission through formal channel when they meet on Monday.”

Experts believe that the biggest impact of these decisions will be on GSM giants like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, which have up to 10 Mhz spectrum in some circles. As a result of these policies, Bharti itself has to pay more than Rs 1,000 crore to the Government.