India's DoT (Department of Telecommunications) recently approved the proposal by the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) to allow foreign and Indian MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) to launch their services in India, India's Economic Times reported on May 30. India's DoT will issue a formal notification, including detailed guidelines for companies operating as MVNOs in India soon.

 

Obtaining the official approval enables foreign and Indian MVNO companies to offer services without having to buy spectrum. A MVNO can now team up with a licensed telecom operator to launch its service in India, leveraging the telecom infrastructure of the said operator. Meanwhile, a telecom operator can collaborate with more than one MVNO. Additionally, the DoT stated that the duration of a MVNO license will last for 20 years and the license will still be valid when the mobile operator-MVNO partnership comes to an end.At present, there are approximately 300 MVNOs worldwide.