The Hindu Business Line : DoT wing hikes spectrum norm

Tougher norms
In Andhra Pradesh, existing players such as Airtel and Vodafone will have to get 10.3 million subscribers each. As per existing norms, only 1.4 million subscribers are required.
For Delhi, TEC has set a target of 4.8 million subscribers. Under the existing norms, only 1 million users are required.

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Oct 31 Any hopes of additional spectrum for existing mobile operators has been dashed with the Telecom Engineering Centre (technical wing of DoT) prescribing an enhanced subscriber based allocation criteria.

The TEC report released on Wednesday has stipulated a subscriber base that is even higher than what the telecom regulator had suggested in most circles. For example in Andhra Pradesh, existing players such as Airtel and Vodafone will have to get 10.3 million subscribers each to qualify for 10 Mhz spectrum. As per existing norms, only 1.4 million subscribers are required. TRAI had proposed to raise it to 5 million.

Even in a high density circle such as Delhi, TEC has set a target of 4.8 million subscribers before operators can apply for more than 10 Mhz. Under the existing norms, only 1 million users are required. The TEC norms would put all the existing operators out of the fray for additional spectrum.

However new applicants such as ByCell, STEL, Reliance Communications, Spice, and Parsvnath can hope top get some piece of the radiowaves in case the Government decides to continue with the existing first come first served policy for allocating spectrum. Even if the Government decides to auction spectrum, the existing players may not be able to participate in the bidding given that they will not be eligible for more spectrum unless they get the prescribed subscriber base. The auction could then be limited among the 46 new applicants, including those who applied for dual technologies.

GSM players have expressed their complete shock and disbelief at the revised subscriber link criteria. Mr. T.V. Ramachandran, Director General, COAI, said that it was evident that all the inputs given by the GSM industry had been completely disregarded by the TEC and that the excessive hike in subscriber numbers was being done with a single point agenda to choke and deprive the existing GSM operators of spectrum and to facilitate priority entry of select players into GSM.

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