CDMA body slams DoT move on spectrum

The issue of spectrum allocation has become murkier, with the Association of United Service Providers of India (Auspi) "" the CDMA operators' body "" slamming the move by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to allocate additional spectrum to existing private GSM operators.

This follows a move by the country's largest CDMA operator, Reliance Communications (RCom), which has served a legal notice to the government seeking a freeze on new spectrum allocation.

In a statement issued to the media, Auspi said the "DoT seems to have succumbed to the pressure tactics of the GSM lobby of two or three dominant operators, and has decided to accept the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai's) norms for additional spectrum allocation".

The body also stated that the allocation of additional spectrum is in "excess of the licence requirements".

"In fact, it (DoT) should take back the excess spectrum from the dominant GSM private operators. The DoT should levy additional spectrum fee until excess spectrum is returned by the existing GSM operators," it said.

Auspi also wanted DoT to accept the Telecom Engineering Centre's (TEC's) report of October 2007, and added that the DoT's move to reject the TEC norms and accept Trai norms is "arbitrary". This decision seems to have been taken under pressure from the GSM lobby, it added.

It also stated that the spectrum review committee of the DoT did not find any deficiency in the TEC report.

RCom has also sought surrendering of 50 MHz spectrum that is in possession of the GSM operators. It had earlier alleged that GSM operators were hoarding spectrum beyond their entitlement of 6.2 MHz.

In its letter, Auspi has also criticised the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), the GSM operators' body, for thwarting competition.

"This is one more attempt to perpetuate monopoly by unfairly putting pressure on the DoT to accept the norms which will allow couple of GSM operators to hoard spectrum beyond contracted quantum and prevent competition," it said, referring to the move seeking additional spectrum allocation.