Shares of telecom majors like Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular rose after the Union Cabinet approved the New Telecom Policy that will replace more than a decade-old rules.

The Cabinet approved the new policy with some changes from what was proposed earlier, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The New Telecom Policy, which aims to separate licences and spectrum, will allow sharing of airwaves among telecom carriers.

It also seeks to facilitate consolidation in a crowded Indian telecom market.

However, pricing of spectrum is not part of the New Telecom Policy, and will be set through an open auction process.

The New Telecom Policy proposes to abolish roaming charges on mobile phones and allow users to retain the same number across the country.

 

The NTP 2012 aims to provide free roaming to telecom users and allow them to retain the mobile number even outside their circles without having to pay any extra charge.

 

At present, users have to pay extra when they receive or make a call in a circle outside their home network, called roaming charges.

 

Also, the mobile number portability (MNP) is not permitted outside circle.