Government committed to telecom sector growth, says PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he was seized of the problems faced by India's telecom sector, and was doing his best to resolve them.

Telecom operators are worried about a paralysis in government policy after the 2G spectrum scam, which has seen politicians as well as corporate executives being jailed for months on end.

The government was committed to helping the sector to grow, Singh told the India Telecom Summit in New Delhi.

India's telecom market is the world's second largest after China, and said to be the fastest-growing.

The prime minister said, "I am aware of some concerns of the telecom industry regarding government policies in the telecom sector. I wish to reassure the industry of the government's full commitment to sustaining growth, creativity and enterprise in this vitally important sector of our economy."

Apart from the scandals and policy paralysis, the market is concerned about a possible big increase in the prices of second-generation (2G) spectrum in the wake of the licences scandal; a proposal that has been floated by the multiple regulatory bodies for the sector.