Ex-railway board CEO Anil Kumar Lahoti joins TRAI as chairman

Ex-railway board chairman and CEO, Anil Kumar Lahoti, has been appointed as the chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI), as stated by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

The appointment committee of the cabinet has approved Lahoti's leadership for a period of three years or until reaching the age of 65.

The position remained vacant for approximately four months since PD Vaghela retired on September 30, 2023. The government had called for applications for the same post in December 2023, with the initial one issued on June 26, 2023.

One of Trai's primary priorities will be to provide pricing and other specifications for the administrative allocation of spectrum to satcom players. This action is contingent on the telecom department issuing a reference, a step that can only be taken with a chairman in office.

Additionally, Trai is tasked with formulating recommendations for over 12 pending consultation papers, encompassing crucial topics such as the national broadcasting policy, E and V band airwaves, quality of services, and the digital transformation facilitated by the 5G ecosystem.

Lahoti is a member of the Indian Railway Service of Engineers from the 1984 batch. Consequently, he becomes the third non-IAS (Indian Administrative Services) officer to assume the role of chairman of the telecom regulator.

Over his career spanning more than 36 years in the railways, he has served in different roles across Central, Northern, North Central, Western, and West Central Railways.

Image Credit- The Economic Times