The Minister of Communications and IT has urged Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) to take the lead in cutting bandwidth prices in the country. The minister blamed the lack of competition in the bandwidth arena for the high prices of bandwidth and pointed out that there were only three international bandwidth operators in India compared to 33 in the UK and 14 in Korea.

These comments come at a time when VSNL has challenged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI's) order to cut international bandwidth prices. It has also recently moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on the issue.