The Association of United Telecom Service Providers of India (Auspi) has written to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who heads the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on telecom, asking him to approve the complete refarming of 900-MHz spectrum.
Auspi represents dual technology mobile companies like Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications.
The association has said the EGoM should approve the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the committee of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Commission on the full refarming of 900 MHz spectrum. In the letter, Ashok Sud, secretary general of Auspi, said the recommendations had already been approved by the minister of communication and information technology.
It said the authorities had been discussing the matter for the past three years, and the Telecom Commission had voted for full refarming of 900-MHz spectrum. Therefore, seeking “further recommendations” from Trai would only delay the process, it said, adding Trai wasn’t expected to change its stand on the issue suddenly. All Trai recommendations through the past three years covered the issue in detail, it said.
Auspi’s letter to the finance minister follows Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia saying the EGoM on telecom should consult Trai before taking a final decision on spectrum refarming.
In its last meeting on October 18, the EGoM had deferred the decision on refarming 900-MHz spectrum, saying “there was not enough time”.
