| The solution required operators to accept, in the interim, the industry regulator's recommendation suggesting a major increase in subscriber numbers for service providers to qualify for additional allocation of spectrum, the radio frequencies that enable wireless communications. |
| The telecom regulator had recommended a two- to four-fold increase in minimum subscriber norms in different circles for operators to qualify for additional spectrum. |
| However, operators have been asked not to dispute the final report of a committee that has been set up by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to examine subscriber norms qualifications. |
| The committee comprises members from associations of the rival lobbies of GSM and CDMA operators and independent experts. |
| As part of its interim solution, DoT also suggested that spectrum for GSM operators should be capped at 10 Mhz and that of CDMA operators at 5Mhz. |
| Under this interim solution new operators that have a licence and are waiting for spectrum would be given start- up spectrum of 4.4 Mhz in GSM (instead of 6.2 MHZ). |
| The government has also made it clear that it would not reverse its decision to permit dual spectrum usage by operators under the same licence. |
| The proposal was discussed today in a meeting called by DoT Secretary D S Mathur with chief executives of leading telecom companies. |
| Those who attended the meeting included Bharti group Chairman Sunil Mittal, Vodafone Essar's Asim Ghosh and Sanjiv Aga of Idea Cellular who met Mathur in one group. |
| Representatives of Spice Telecom, led by B K Modi, and executives of Aircel met Mathur; Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Communications, Anil Sardana, CEO of Tata Teleservices, and HFCL Chairman Mahendra Nahata all met Mathur in individually. |
| The CEO of a GSM operator said the compromise was "not acceptable" and that the operators would continue to pursue the legal course. |
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