The union cabinet Wednesday approved 3G spectrum for the defence forces, identifying 49 slots in the band of 3 megahertz and 40 gigahertz.
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said nine of these slots will be used exclusively by the defence forces.
"Of the 31 slots, defence use has to coexist with other usage," he said.
"I am happy to announce what was pending for eight years has been approved by this government," he said.