Four telcos to get spectrum by Dec

Bharti, Idea, Vodafone & Aircel to get additional spectrum

Even as new telecom aspirants eagerly await the release of spectrum by the defence forces (20-25 MHz), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is close to awarding spectrum to existing mobile operators "" Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone Essar and Aircel "" by the end of the year.

These players had applied for spectrum earlier from August 2006 to April 2007, which are being considered as priority dates, and will now get the additional spectrum from unutilised frequencies, available in the 1800 MHz band.

The DoT will provide the additional spectrum just as it did when it recently allocated 10 MHz additional pan-India spectrum to state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and 4.4 MHz to Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL).

The allocation is being based on a finding by Wireless Planning and Co-ordination cell (WPC) and Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), which revealed that a certain amount of spectrum was "lying unutilised" with the government. DoT sources say the WPC has proposed to earmark 0.8 MHz for Bharti Airtel, taking its cumulative total to 10 MHz. Moreover, it is doling out initial allocations of 4.4 MHz of spectrum to Idea Cellular and Aircel in the Mumbai circle.

However, Vodafone-Essar "" which already has 10 MHz spectrum in Mumbai "" will not be allocated further spectrum. Likewise, Idea Cellular, which currently has 8 MHz of spectrum, will get an additional 2 MHz, and Aircel 4.4 MHz in the Delhi circle. Airtel and Vodafone-Essar (which have 10 MHz each) will not be allocated further spectrum. A similar allocation is also planned for the rest of the country, the source said, but did not provide circle-wise details. When contacted, a DoT official confirmed that the spectrum would be provided under the "same terms and conditions" of BSNL and MTNL.

He added that the allocation was on a "trial basis". The allocation, he noted, will be under the private GSM players' existing service licence agreements.