Licensing and FDI legal for foreign telecom and infrastructure firms in India.
Telecom in India allows one hundred percent foreign investment under the automatic route, a major liberalisation, but the sector is defined by its licensing and spectrum architecture, now being reshaped by the Telecommunications Act 2023 which replaces the older telegraph-era framework with a modern authorisation regime. A foreign telecom or infrastructure firm must secure the appropriate authorisation or licence, comply with spectrum and rollout obligations, and meet the security and lawful-interception conditions that attach to telecom operations.
The sector carries entry conditions tied to national security, including scrutiny of equipment sourcing and the trusted-source framework, and the infrastructure, towers, fibre, and data, each engage their own rules. We structure the FDI and the authorisation, manage the licensing and spectrum position, build the security, lawful-interception, and trusted-source compliance, and structure the infrastructure, sharing, and interconnection arrangements so the foreign firm can operate within the telecom framework.
Securing the appropriate authorisation or licence under the Telecommunications Act 2023 and the DoT framework.
Advising on spectrum, rollout obligations, and the associated conditions.
Building the national-security, lawful-interception, and trusted-source compliance applicable to telecom.
Structuring tower, fibre, sharing, and interconnection arrangements.
Structuring the one hundred percent FDI, holding structure, and FEMA reporting.
Managing the transition from the older licensing framework to the Telecommunications Act 2023 authorisation regime.
Yes. Telecom allows one hundred percent foreign investment under the automatic route. The sector complexity is in the licensing, spectrum, and security framework, now governed by the Telecommunications Act 2023, rather than in the FDI approval.
It replaces the older telegraph-era framework with a modern authorisation regime for telecom services and networks, reshaping how licences and authorisations work, alongside spectrum and security provisions. Operators must align with the new framework as it is implemented.
Telecom operations carry national-security conditions, including lawful-interception obligations and the trusted-source framework governing equipment sourcing. A foreign firm must build these into its operations and procurement, in addition to the licensing requirements.
No. No engagement is treated as accepted until conflicts, scope and terms are confirmed in writing. An initial discussion is confidential and is used only to understand the matter and assess fit.
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