AUSPI wants DoT to accept Trai recommendations on spectrum

CDMA operators today said rivals GSM players are trying to scuttle the implementation of Trai's spectrum recommendations to meet their vested interests and asked the government not to succumb to their pressure tactics.

In a letter to Telecom Minister A Raja, the association said the proposals by Trai are "well balanced, progressive and transparent".

"The government should accept the TRAI recommendations as they are aimed at restoring the level-playing field between the incumbent operators and new players," CDMA players' association AUSPI said.

Terming the campaign of rival players as 'deplorable', the letter said that the government should not buckle under the vicious campaign of incumbent GSM operators, led by Bharti Airtel.

The GSM brigade, including Airtel and Vodafone, have opposed the Trai recommendations and termed them as retrograde and perverse and said the report should be dumped.

GSM operators's lobby COAI in a release said the regulators's recommendations are at a major deviation from the earlier DoT's spectrum committee report. The DoT spectrum committee had a panel of experts which had held detailed deliberations on spectrum management.... And had come out with a balance view on the subject."

"TRAI recommendations are pro-consumer and will help bridge digital divide by linking spectrum allocation with roll-out obligations... These are well balanced, progressive and transparent," AUSPI said.

The TRAI has said that 2G spectrum beyond the contracted limit of 6.2 MHz need to be priced in relation to the 3G, for which auction is in process. It has also capped the spectrum at 8 MHz other than in Delhi and Mumbai at 10 MHz.

However, AUSPI has also raised a concern that double taxation should not take place on UASL service providers.

"While drafting the guidelines for Uniform license fee, the DoT should make sure that double taxation does not take place for UAS and IP 1 service provider," it added.

In case it is decided to levy license fee on revenues of IP1 service provider, the Unified access service provider should be allowed to have a set off in its revenues against the charges paid to IP 1 service provider.

Meanwhile, unhappy with Trai Tata Teleservices has said the the regulator should look into status of dual technology licence holders and give priority to them while allotting initial spectrum rather than giving preference to new players.

Dual technology operators (players who are offering mobile services using both CDMA as well GSM technology) who are existing operators is a separate category and DoT action of placing TTSL after new UAS licensees is in-appropriate, the company said.