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<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>NEW DELHI: The setting up of three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) on artificial intelligence and 100 labs in engineering colleges for the development of 5G<\/a> applications are progressive steps and will drive the development of the 5G ecosystem in the country, according to telecom industry<\/a> associations.

The associations in their response to the Union Budget 2023-24, however, expressed their dismay over the Budget not addressing their recommended measures such as reducing regulatory levies such as License Fee (LF), deferring USOF contribution till the exhaustion of existing corpus, exemption of basic customs duty (BCD) on telecom gear, the demand for an Rs 18,000-crore input tax credit refund by telecom infrastructure firms, and others.

“The capital investment outlay has been increased by 33% to INR 10 lakh crore and we hope the same would include development of infrastructure for the proliferation of telecom and digital services,” said SP Kochhar, director-general of the
Cellular Operators Association of India<\/a> (COAI<\/a>) in a statement Wednesday. “The revision of Income Tax slabs could also help increase disposable income for the people, leading to greater adoption and use of data connectivity services.”

Delhi-based COAI represents telecom operators
Reliance Jio<\/a>, Bharti Airtel<\/a>, and Vodafone Idea<\/a>.

“We are hopeful that the industry’s suggestions to reduce regulatory levies like License Fee, deferring USOF contribution till the existing funds are exhausted, exemption of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on Telecom equipment, waiving of GST on regulatory payments, refund of ITC, among others, will be considered and addressed by the Government during the course of the year,” said Kochhar.

He added that the government’s support for the telecom industry is “critical” with ongoing 5G roll outs, given that the fifth-generation services would be an enabler for various verticals.

“The 200% increase in rural internet subscriptions between 2015 and 2021 in comparison to 158% in urban areas bears testimony to the efforts being made jointly by the Government and the industry for enhancing pan-India digital connectivity,” he added.

\"India<\/a><\/figure>

India will become a major telecom tech exporter in next 2-3 years: Vaishnaw<\/a><\/h2>

Vaishnaw, during a post-budget conference in the national capital on Wednesday, said that the setting up of 100 labs across the country for developing 5G-driven applications will enable the youth to build products and use cases around fifth-generation network technology.<\/p><\/div>

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<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>NEW DELHI: The setting up of three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) on artificial intelligence and 100 labs in engineering colleges for the development of 5G<\/a> applications are progressive steps and will drive the development of the 5G ecosystem in the country, according to telecom industry<\/a> associations.

The associations in their response to the Union Budget 2023-24, however, expressed their dismay over the Budget not addressing their recommended measures such as reducing regulatory levies such as License Fee (LF), deferring USOF contribution till the exhaustion of existing corpus, exemption of basic customs duty (BCD) on telecom gear, the demand for an Rs 18,000-crore input tax credit refund by telecom infrastructure firms, and others.

“The capital investment outlay has been increased by 33% to INR 10 lakh crore and we hope the same would include development of infrastructure for the proliferation of telecom and digital services,” said SP Kochhar, director-general of the
Cellular Operators Association of India<\/a> (COAI<\/a>) in a statement Wednesday. “The revision of Income Tax slabs could also help increase disposable income for the people, leading to greater adoption and use of data connectivity services.”

Delhi-based COAI represents telecom operators
Reliance Jio<\/a>, Bharti Airtel<\/a>, and Vodafone Idea<\/a>.

“We are hopeful that the industry’s suggestions to reduce regulatory levies like License Fee, deferring USOF contribution till the existing funds are exhausted, exemption of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on Telecom equipment, waiving of GST on regulatory payments, refund of ITC, among others, will be considered and addressed by the Government during the course of the year,” said Kochhar.

He added that the government’s support for the telecom industry is “critical” with ongoing 5G roll outs, given that the fifth-generation services would be an enabler for various verticals.

“The 200% increase in rural internet subscriptions between 2015 and 2021 in comparison to 158% in urban areas bears testimony to the efforts being made jointly by the Government and the industry for enhancing pan-India digital connectivity,” he added.

\"India<\/a><\/figure>

India will become a major telecom tech exporter in next 2-3 years: Vaishnaw<\/a><\/h2>

Vaishnaw, during a post-budget conference in the national capital on Wednesday, said that the setting up of 100 labs across the country for developing 5G-driven applications will enable the youth to build products and use cases around fifth-generation network technology.<\/p><\/div>