Lok Sabha Question No. 1602 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-27
Subject: Machine-to-Machine Communication
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: GOKARAJU GANGA RAJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1602 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 TH      DECEMBER, 2017

## MACHINE-TO-MACHINE COMMUNICATION

1602. DR. GOKARAJU GANGA RAJU:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication services;
- (b) if  so,  whether the Government has created additional licensed spectrum for the said services to meet  the projected influx of  connected  devices  due  to  M2M communication;
- (c) whether the basic telecom services licences are being allowed to provide M2M connectivity within the area of their existing authorisations and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has any proposal on machine-to-machine communications that includes a new kind of permit for companies keen on providing services for this new form of technology and has suggested to the Department of  Telecom(DoT) that all existing  operators should  be  allowed  to provide connectivity for machine-to-machine services and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  identified  critical  services  in  the  M2M  for  the services to be mandated to be provided only by connectivity providers using licensed spectrum and whether the companies offering M2M services using unlicensed spectrum like  the  one  used  for  Wi-Fi  are  allowed  to  be  covered  under  licence  through  a  new permit to be called Unified Licence (M2M) and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) & (b) The Machine to Machine (M2M) communication services in the country is provided by various stakeholders of M2M ecosystem. Department of Telecommunications (DoT) only facilitates in creating M2M ecosystem framework with appropriate policy and regulatory aspects related  to  M2M  communications.  No additional licensed spectrum is separately earmarked at present for M2M communication services.

(c) to (e) Recently, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has submitted its recommendations on Spectrum, Roaming and QoS related requirements in Machine-toMachine (M2M) Communications to DoT. TRAI in its recommendations has inter-alia, recommended that:

(i)      All  Basic  Services  licensees  and  Internet  Service  Provider  (ISP)  licensees shall  be  allowed  to  provide  M2M  connectivity,  including  on  unlicensed  band, within  the  area  of  their  existing  authorizations,  barring  M2M  cellular  services. DoT may suitably amend the license conditions under Basic Service Operators (BSOs) and respective ISP categories.

(ii)    All  access  service  providers'  viz.  CMTS,  UASL,  UL  (AS)  and  UL  holders using  licensed  access  spectrum  shall  be  allowed  to  provide  M2M  connectivity within  the  area  of  their  existing  authorizations.  DoT  may  suitably  amend  the license conditions in respective licenses.

(iii)  Connectivity  provider  using  Low  Power  Wide  Area  Network  (LPWAN) technologies operating in unlicensed spectrum should be covered under licensing  through  a  new  authorization  under  UL  namely  UL  (M2M).  Such licensees should be allowed to bid for licensed spectrum to provide exclusively M2M services, if they desire to provide M2M services in the licensed band.

(iv) Government, through DoT, should identify critical services in M2M sector and these services should be mandated to be provided only by connectivity providers using licensed spectrum.

At present, Government has not identified critical services in M2M sector.

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