The Department of Telecommunications (DOT), on November 24, 2025, issued a clarification on the spectrum usage charges revision order dated December 11, 2023, for the assignment of frequencies to captive users.
The government has issued clarifications based on the Standing Committee’s report regarding the interpretation of the Spectrum Usage Charges Order. These clarifications must be followed when calculating spectrum charges:
• Incremental Spectrum Charges
o Applicable only to fixed-site operations.
o Not applicable to area-based networks (district/state/All-India).
o For district-wide networks, royalty = Category 3 charges × factor of 5.
• Charges for Radars below 960 MHz
o Radars operating below 960 MHz will be charged at the same rates applicable to the 960–2690 MHz band.
• Charging Methodology for Delhi
o Fixed-site charging applies even if coverage spans multiple districts.
o Area-based charging applies only when multiple networks are deployed across Delhi.
• Fixed Vs. Area-Based Classification
o If a network’s area is smaller than the maximum coverage of fixed-site Category 3 (30–60 km), fixed-site charges apply, regardless of the district count involved.
• Charges for Licenses Valid More Than 1 Year
o From April 01, 2024, revised charges apply from each user's renewal/anniversary month.
o The anniversary date is the first day of the month corresponding to the LoI issue month.
• Minimum Royalty for MPB (Cat 1)
o Updated minimum royalty = ₹3,000 (previously ₹2,000).
These clarifications take effect from the date of the order for new cases and apply to existing DL/WOL cases from their next renewal cycle, except as noted in Point (v).
