COLOMBO (News 1st); The licenses issued for telecommunication services will now be issued via an auction basis, says Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Speaking at the Parliament during the Budget speech today (12) Minister Rajapaksa mentioned that the licenses issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) for service providers will be issued on an auction basis rather than a normal issuance.

The TRCSL issues licenses for several services, including, fixed phone operations, mobile phone operations, internet service providers, and satellite broadcasting operations.

The Finance Minister stated that the decision was reached in consideration of the substantial investment on telecommunication services made via issuing the licenses.

Furthermore, it is proposed to sell 5G frequencies by auction, to be included the information technology field.

Moreover, the Finance Minister added that the allocation of TV and Radio Frequencies will take place via an open tender process, while noting that frequencies are considered as public property.

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