Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged the industry to give recommendations on how to improve the regulatory architecture for telecom networks in the face of rapid changes in technology. He said that the government is open to suggestions to make the Indian regulatory framework at par with the best in the world.

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress event, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who also holds the charge of IT and Railway ministries said, "We want to benchmark our regulatory framework with the best in the world. We want the industry to keep adding value to the people. So I request all of you through this conference, please come up with new suggestions. Please come up with suggestions for the regulatory framework. We are open to more reforms."

He added that the government prioritises inclusive development and sought suggestions from the telecom industry to take digital connectivity to the vulnerable and marginal sections of society.

"We have seen how COVID accelerated the pace of digitization, practically everything is shifted to digital platforms. This is bringing new opportunities and disrupting society in a big way. If the social disruptions have to be managed properly, I request the captains of industry to come up with solutions so that the new technology gets adopted into the society without disrupting the large sections of people who were used to the old ways of working."

The minister pointed out that the Centre has taken initiatives like sanctioning new towers and taking BharatNet to the last village in the country to bridge the digital gap.

Vaishnaw also highlighted security concerns regarding telecom networks in the wake of the prevailing geopolitical situation. He said, "New geopolitical realities are facing all of us... There are paramount concerns among all the nations of the world regarding the security of telecom networks."

The minister also added that people want everything including telecom devices, equipment and network operating systems from trusted sources.

Earlier in September, the Central government had announced a series of reforms, including a four-year moratorium, to infuse a new life into debt-ridden telecom players.