The Hindu Business Line : DoT offers to fund cable project for Defence

Project plan
Project to link armed forces with crucial establishments
Will enable armed forces to vacate spectrum for mobile usage
Expected to free 45 Mhz of radio frequency

New Delhi , Sept. 14

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has decided to cough up the entire Rs 980 crore required to create an optical fibre cable network, which will enable the defence forces to vacate spectrum for use by commercial cellular service providers.

DoT will seek the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) to fund the cable project from its Budgetary allocation under the capital expenses head. DoT has also decided to transfer the network to the Defence after state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd rolls out the network.

The project envisages laying an exclusive optical fibre cable network for the armed forces linking crucial establishments across the country, which will enable it to shift part of its communication from the existing wireless mode to a wire line network. The defence is the largest consumer of radio frequency, a commodity that is in demand with mobile subscriber base growing by more than 5 million a month. The optical fibre cable is expected to free 45 Mhz of radio frequency for cellular usage.

Senior DoT officials said that the decision to fund the project from the department's allocation was taken at a meeting of the full Telecom Commission held this week. "We have decided to seek CCEA approval for releasing the amount required for this project. This cable is very crucial for making spectrum available for cellular operators. We hope to release the radio frequency being used by the armed forces by the end of the year," said a DoT source.

DoT has also asked other non commercial users of spectrum like utility companies to shift their communication links from wireless to wire-line mode wherever optical fibre cable is available. According to DoT sources, already steps have been taken to make available optical fibre cable to non-commercial users through BSNL's nationwide optical fibre cable network. DoT is also asking private cellular operators to make more use of fibre cables wherever possible, for instance when connecting base stations to mobile switching centre or for connecting mobile towers.

Mobile operators across the country are facing severe shortage of radio frequency affecting the quality of service. At present mobile operators in the country use the 1,800 Mhz, 800 Mhz and the 900 Mhz band for offering services. These frequency bands are also being used by the defence agencies which is making it difficult for DoT to release additional spectrum in the same band for mobile usage.