DoT starts portal to accept telecom service authorisation, license migration

The development follows the notification of telecommunication rules for authorisation for provision of telecommunication services under the Telecommunications Act, 2023

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday has officially commenced the acceptance of applications for obtaining authorisations to provide telecommunication services, as well as for the migration of existing licenses to the terms and conditions of authorisation under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.“This development follows the notification of telecommunication rules for authorisation for provision of telecommunication services under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 which have been notified on June 23, 2026,” the DoT said.On the same day, rules for migration of license to the terms and conditions of authorisation of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 were also notified.The latest rules differ from the current model, where a unified licence is executed as a formal, bilateral licence pact between the telecom service provider and the DoT. Under this agreement, any unilateral modification by the Centre could be challenged in courts or tribunals as a contractual dispute.Online SubmissionAs envisaged under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the provisions of the aforesaid rules are being implemented using the principle of ‘digital by design’, the DoT said, adding that to facilitate this, application modules for both obtaining a fresh authorisation and migrating existing licenses have been made operational.Applicants can now submit their applications online through the ‘Telecom eServices Portal’, the DoT noted.As an interim measure, in October 2025, the DoT had suspended the acceptance of new applications for issuing Unified Licenses, Unified License (virtual network operator or VNO), Standalone Licenses, Registrations, Permissions, and No Objection Certificates with effect from November 10, 2025.“This suspension was put in place pending the notification of the new authorisation framework,” it added.Published on June 25, 2026