Types of Telecom Licenses in India

Preface: This post was originally published in 2023 and has been updated on July 26, 2025, to provide you with the most current and accurate information.

Whether you want to start a call center or to provide infrastructure to a call center or provide Internet Service to the people, you need licenses from the DOT. We know! It is a bit confusing, considering there is no relation between the two. But the same confusion has affected people who can’t decide which license to get. Therefore, we thought it would be a good idea to educate you about telecom license types.

The following are the types of telecom licenses we will discuss:

1. ISP Licenses Category A, B, and C
2. UL VNO License
3. OSP Registrations
4. Share Infrastructure License
5. IP-1 Registration
6. Audiotex / Voice Call / UMS License

1. ISP Licenses Category A, B, and C

Let us start with ISP License – which you get if you want to start as an Internet Service Provider. The ISP License Category is three:

1. Category A ISP License: If you want to provide internet services across India, you need ISP License category A. A PAN India License, the entry fee required to get it is Rs 30 Lakh.
2. Category B ISP License: Want to provide internet services within a telecom circle or across a metro area? Get an ISP License Category B. The entry fee required to get it is Rs 2 Lakh.
3. Category CISP License: What if you just want to provide Internet Services within a small block, or a small neighborhood (secondary switching area)? In that case, you go for ISP License Category C. It is the cheapest among them all. The ISP C Class fees is not more than Rs 50,000/-.

2. UL VNO License

Now not many of you might be able to afford standard ISP License. But still, there is no need to worry– as there is a cheaper alternative: UL VNO License. It is a new form of Unified License suited for ISPs on a tight budget. Much like ISP License, it also has three categories:

1. Category A: The UL VNO Category A License is valid across India.
2. Category B: The UL VNO Category B License is valid within a Metro Area/telecom circle
3. Category C: The UL VNO Category C License is valid within a secondary switching Area.

The telecom license renewal for a UL VNO License has to be done early because it is valid only for 3 years.

3. OSP Registrations

You call it to call center, but the experts call it OSP: the Other Services Provider. OSPs are businesses that use telecom resources to provide services such as BPO, LPO, KPO, RPO, Tele-education, Tele-banking, networking and others. These telecom Licenses in India are also provided by Department of telecommunication. It is to ensure that the telecom resources aren’t misused.

The types of OSPs are as follows:

1. Domestic OSPs: They are country-bound OSPs.

2. International OSPs: They are unbound licenses that can operate across international borders.

OSP License is location bound, which means that you have to get one OSP License per location if you have multiple call centers.

4. Sharing Infrastructure License

Setting up a call center is pricey. Therefore, it is always a good idea to share the infrastructure with another OSP to keep the cost a bit down. The Share Infrastructure License is a Telecom License Agreement between two OSPs to share infrastructure. Both parties have to sign this agreement and submit it to the OSP and that’s it, they can begin sharing the resources to perform their tasks.

5. IP-1 Registration

OSPs require a lot of infrastructures, which is up to an Infrastructure Provider to provide. You can become an Infrastructure Provider by getting the IP-1 License. With this license, you can provide the following infrastructures:

1. Dark Fibre
2. Right of Way
3. Tower
4. Duct Space

6. Audiotex / Voice Call / UMS License

If you want to provide Audiotex, Voice Call or Unified Messaging services to your clients, you need to get the Audiotax License.

1. Audio Tax: Audio and Text services
2. Voice Call: Voice Call Services
3. UMS: Unified Messaging Services that covers every form of messaging service.

Conclusion

Telecom Licenses in India are of varying types. Now, we hope that we have removed much of the confusion regarding which license you should choose. If you still have doubts, feel free to get in touch with our experts. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is an ISP License?

A. An ISP License allows you to provide internet services. It has three categories: A (Pan India), B (Telecom Circle), and C (City/SSA level).

Q2. What is a UL VNO License?

A. A UL VNO License is a low-cost alternative for ISPs to operate under a Unified License framework in categories A, B, or C.

Q3. What is OSP Registration?

A. OSP Registration is mandatory for businesses like call centers, BPOs, and telebanking that use telecom resources.

Q4. What is IP-1 Registration?

A. IP-1 Registration allows companies to provide telecom infrastructure like towers, dark fiber, and duct space.                                

Author: Dushyant Sharma

Hey there, I'm Dushyant Sharma. With the extensive knowledge I've gained in past 8 years, I have been creating content on various subjects such as banking, insurance, telecom, and all the important registration and licensing processes for various companies. I'm here to help everyone with my expertise in these areas through my articles.