| On the other hand, GSM players' lobby Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)is considering approaching the Department of Telecom against Trai's recommendations, saying the regulator did not consult them before finalising its report. |
| "We are a regulator and are expected to ensure the enforcement of law. We cannot violate the law," Trai officials said on condition of anonymity. |
| COAI Director General T V Ramchandran called the calculations done by Trai for the purpose of allocation of additional spectrum "ridiculous" and accused the regulator of bypassing the consultation procedure. Asked whether COAI would challenge the recommendations, Ramachandran said: "We are studying all available options. We shall make presentation to DoT first as Trai has only made recommendations and DoT is yet to accept or reject it." |
| Trai Chairman Nripendra Misra refused to comment on the allegations made by the private operators. |
| The regulator had, on August 29, suggested framing a new spectrum allocation criteria for mobile operators as part of its recommendations on review of licence terms for companies. |
| It had asked the government to enhance the present subscriber norms for spectrum allocation and also suggested raising the spectrum prices for GSM players. |
| COAI is of the view that TRAI's recommendations would help new players to get spectrum while existing operators would be denied additional frequency as the number of subscribers required for additional MHz has been increased by 2-6 times the current guidelines. |
| The industry group has also cited section 11 (iv) of the Trai Act, saying all decisions of the regulator would be taken after a consultation process and in a transparent manner. |
| Even after such consultations, the regulator should put the proposals on its website for public comments, the industry body said. It added that Trai had never said it was planning to change the subscriber limit for operators. |
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