TRAI has proposed introducing a uniform rate of 6% as annual licence fee component of total adjusted gross revenues from 2014.

Presently operators pay in the range of 6 % to 10% as licence fees.

“This licence fee should be brought down progressively from the existing rates to an uniform rate of 6 per cent by the year 2013-14, said TRAI chairman J S Sarma.

COAI was quick to welcome the move as Rajan Mathew, DG COAI said his has been a long-standing demand of the operators, who said the total levies of the telecom sector in India were the highest in the world, at 30 %. He added that the move will bring down costs of the operators.