Spectrum panel votes for status quo

In a move that is likely to please neither GSM nor CDMA-based telecom operators, the special empowered committee on spectrum has proposed that the present spectrum allotment criteria remain unchanged.

Currently, GSM operators are given twice the amount of spectrum as compared to CDMA players for an equal number of subscribers.

This comes even as GSM operators have been demanding that the current allotment ratio be changed to 5:1 on the ground that CDMA was five times more spectrum-efficient, while CDMA operators have been fighting for equal allotment for both technology platforms.

"Going forward, this criteria (2:1 relationship) may be similarly extended for allotting additional spectrum for both GSM and CDMA operators. As this linkage is as per licence, adherence to this for future spectrum allocations cannot be challenged," the committee's report said.

"Any attempt to either relax or tighten this relationship could lead to a legal challenge by operators being disadvantaged by such decision," it added.

The report also said both GSM and CDMA operators must be awarded additional spectrum based on the number of subscribers in a particular circle. While CDMA players currently enjoy this facility, GSM operators do not have the benefit of this differentiation.

The empowered committee was set up, under the chairmanship of wireless advisor P K Garg and comprising four other members, by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to examine the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Based on these criteria, the committee also presented a roadmap for additional spectrum allocations in the future.

"The suggested subscriber linkages have the advantage of simplicity and uniform applicability to both standards based on a 2: 1 relationship between GSM and CDMA spectrum," the report added.