Types of ISP Licence

Under the Unified Licence (UL), DoT issues the Internet Service authorisation in three categories based on the geographic scope you intend to serve. Choosing the right category is the single biggest decision in your application — it determines your financial commitments and service areas.

Category A — All-India

Authorises internet services across all 22 licensed service areas of India. It carries the highest entry fee, bank guarantees (PBG/FBG), net-worth and paid-up-capital requirements. Chosen by large ISPs and national operators.

Category B — One or more service areas

Authorises internet services in one or more specified service areas (LSAs), but not the entire country. The right fit for regional ISPs serving a set of circles or states.

Category C — Single service area

Authorises internet services in a single service area — typically a more local or last-mile ISP. Lowest entry threshold; suited to community, rural and small-city operators.

Key differences at a glance

• Geographic scope: All-India (A) vs. selected service areas (B) vs. a single area (C)
• Entry fee and bank guarantees scale with category
• Net-worth and paid-up-capital eligibility scale with category
• Your service-area ambition and capital readiness decide the category

A note on licence types

Legacy ISP licensing under UASL also used A/B/C classification. Today most new ISP authorisations are granted under the Unified Licence, which can carry multiple authorisations (ISP, NLD, IPLC, etc.) in one licence. We help you decide whether a standalone ISP authorisation or a broader UL is right for you.

Exact entry fees, PBG/FBG amounts and eligibility are DoT-set and periodic — we confirm the current figures for the category and service areas you pick.