Date:20/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012050960500.htm

Back Tata Tele blames TRAI for GSM bias

Our Bureau

New Delhi, Jan 19 Tata Teleservices on Friday said that the stance taken by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on spectrum was discriminatory and favoured GSM operators.

In a letter to the Department of Telecom, the company said: “ We are pained, distressed to note that TRAI’s concerns on DoT’s implementation of interim spectrum allocation norms are relating to GSM operators who are already holding more spectrum than the contracted amount under their licence and who are admittedly not using the spectrum efficiently.”

Mr Anil Sardana, MD, Tata Teleservices, said: “TRAI has acknowledged that a fully loaded GSM network has similar spectral efficiency as that of CDMA network… But in spite of that, TRAI’s recommendations to double the spectrum to GSM is highly discriminatory and loaded in favour of existing GSM operators.”

The Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India has also written a letter to the Minister of Communication supporting the decision to issue letters of intent to new operators.

“An impression is also being created that the entry of new operators is limited by the amount of spectrum availability… The issue of spectrum to any licensee is always subject to the availability and this is so provided in the licence agreement itself which provides for a separate specific authorisation and licence. It would, therefore, be incorrect for anybody to claim that no licenses can be issued without the spectrum.”