Preface
The purpose of this series is to analyze what went wrong with India’s telecom licensing regime and why a significant player like Vodafone Idea is struggling for survival today. What were the policy missteps that led to this situation, and what could have been done differently? Answering these questions is crucial because understanding past mistakes enables us to envision the changes needed for a better future. As George Santayana wisely said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Yet, our visibility into the past is often blurred because information is scattered in a disorganized way, making it difficult to digest. The goal of this series is to simplify this scattered information and provide readers with a comprehensive yet accessible overview of what happened and why. Small mistakes had a cascading effect on future policies, ultimately shaping the current challenges we face. These policy missteps now haunt us and have proven incredibly difficult to undo.
I have tried to provide references and links to original documents wherever possible to ensure transparency and leave nothing to speculation. For the sake of focus, I may have omitted some events that I do not consider central to the theme of this discussion. I have also made every effort to present data in an easily comprehensible manner, ensuring that the real story remains clear without being lost in unnecessary details. I hope you find this journey into the history of Indian telecom licensing both informative and insightful.
