Based on the recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI), the Government announced guidelines on 25 January 2001 for issue of licences, with unrestricted open entry, to new Basic Service Operators in all the Service areas including the six service areas where private licences already existed. Now, there are only two Basic Service Providers i.e. BSNL & MTNL. All the Private Operators who were providing Basic Services had migrated to Unified Access Service License regime as per DoT guidelines dated 11 November 2003 for migration to Unified Access (Basic & Cellular) Service consequent to Addendum to the NTP-1999.

The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 was amended in January 2004 to establish USO Fund with retrospective effect from 01 April 2002.

• Introduction of Unified Licencing Regime : Consequent to the acceptance of recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) by the government on 31 October 2003, an addendum to the NTP-1999 was issued by the Department of Telecommunications for the inclusion of the Unified Access (Basic and Cellular) service. While the former enabled the licensee to provide all telecommunication/telegraph services covering various geographic areas using a specific technology, the latter permitted licensee to provide basic and/or cellular services using any technology in a defined service area. Presently, there are 76* UASL licences.
  
  *includes licences migrated from Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (CMTS) and Basic Services.