TRAI signs deal to work closely with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

The **Telecom Regulatory Authority of India** (TRAI) on Tuesday signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation. [caption id=“attachment_2057091” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The agreement would help both regulators to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations, an official statement from TRAI stated. The agreement will facilitate exchange of information and regulatory best practices in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications, including new and emerging areas. It will also help in exchange, deployment and attachment of experts from both the countries. “Collaboration in various international forums, including, but not limited to, the **Association of Southeast Asian Nations** (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU),” the statement said. This comes on the same day the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) stated that it was likely to release a discussion paper on spectrum auction this week, chairman R S Sharma said on 21 August. Sharma told reporters on the sidelines of ITU-TRAI Asia Pacific Regulators Roundtable that the consultation paper of spectrum auction and pricing is “ready” and the telecom regulator hopes to release it this week. Earlier this year, the  **Department of Telecom** (DoT) sought Trai’s views on spectrum price for various frequencies, including premium airwaves in the 700MHz band which remained unsold in the last auctions in October 2016.