Vodafone chief says spectrum 'like oxygen', questions govts charging for it

Davos: Telecom major Vodafone’s chief Vittorio Colao today wondered whether there is any need for government to charge for spectrum, which he said is like oxygen and water. “I will want to ask a question in the end. Does we need to charge for spectrum?. Does the government need to charge for spectrum? Does anyone charge for oxygen?. [caption id=“attachment_2060349” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters [/caption]“The government indeed charges us taxes for whatever we earn, but it does not tax us for breathing as such. Is spectrum something like that?,” Colao, Vodafone Group’s Chief Executive Officer, said. He was participating in a session on the potential of digital economy at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meet. About spectrum, he said “it’s oxygen, it’s water (and) it’s that kind of thing”. “That is the question I want to leave as the Davos question,” he noted. Vodafone has been raising concerns about high spectrum price in India where it has major presence. PTI