Trai report lopsided; no one-time charge for spectrum: Mittal

Market leader Bharti Airtel today termed as "lopsided" the report of telecom regulator Trai on spectrum charges, saying it was not liable for "one time charges" for the frequency beyond 6.2 MHz.

Demanding a level playing field for the old operators, Bharti group chief Sunil Mittal told PTI "our view is that the spectrum given to us and other operators from time to time is under a policy and there is no question of any additional payment for this."

Trai has suggested that the operators be charged one-time payment for holding extra spectrum beyond the contractual limit of 6.2 Mhz and the same may be linked to the price of 3G spectrum for which auction was held recently.

Bharti, he said, has been paying extra spectrum charges on the additional spectrum for years now and there is no rationale for one-time charge for any spectrum held by the firm.

Asked if he would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said, "We have written to the regulator and the (Telecom) Minister. We have also seen the reports that the issue might be referred to an Empowered Group of Ministers. I am very hopeful that justice will be done."

Mittal also slammed the regulator for suggesting that the operators must buy 2G spectrum at new price for their next licence period of 20 years as and when their old licences come up for renewal.

With Bharti's most of licences due for renewal in the next 2-3 years the company may have to shell out a whopping up to Rs 15,000 crore for renewing its licences and at a time when the new operators have been given the same spectrum at Rs 1,650 crore a year ago.

"Trai has created a lopsided situation. Certain set of operators have got spectrum and they are going to enjoy it for next 20 years at a much lower price and some operators like us will have to pay much higher if Trai recommendations are accepted," Mittal said.

The company will wait for the renewal policy to be announced by the government. "All that I would say is that whatever is the decision it should be absolutely same, equal and level playing field for all the operators. And that will be acceptable to us," he said.

"You can’t have a difference that one set of operators are paying Rs 1,650 crore and others are expected to pay a multiple of that. Spectrum is spectrum whether is lying here or there. If they (government) want to charge a higher price, then they will have to go back and charge all those who got spectrum in 2008 at the same charge," he added.