Trai recommends administrative allocation of MWA/MWB carriers

Telecom regulator Trai has proposed that the DoT continue with the practice of allocating microwave access (MWA) and microwave backbone (MWB) carriers to telecom operators through administrative basis.
Microwave technology is widely deployed by operators to provide point-to-point radio frequency links in mobile networks.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) had asked the Trai to furnish recommendations for allocation and pricing of MWA and MWB radio frequency carriers.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in its recommendations said as MW carriers are essential for roll-out of network and there is no shortage of MWA/MWB carriers.
The regulator said since the access spectrum is being assigned through auction, there seems to be no justification for another auction for the assignment of MW carriers as these will be used by only those telecom service providers (TSPs) who have got the access spectrum.

"Therefore, the Authority is of the view that the assignment of MWA and MWB carriers should continue to be done administratively," Trai said.

Microwave carriers in the frequency bands of 10 GHz and beyond are called MWA carriers and below 10 GHz are called MWB carriers.
The Authority said TSPs should be assigned MWA carriers as per their requirement. However, it will be subject to a ceiling on the number of MWA carriers that can be assigned to a operator.
Trai also proposed that operators having carriers above the ceiling limit should surrender excess carriers within one year.
"The Authority recommends that TSPs, holding MWA carriers in excess of the maximum number of carriers recommended by it, should be asked to surrender the excess MWA carriers in one year's time period with effect from the date the new guidelines come into force," Trai said.

However, in case TSP is left with excess MWA carriers as a result of trading of spectrum, it will have to surrender the excess MW carriers within three months of the effective date of trade.
The regulator recommends that the assignment of MWA carriers should be done on an exclusive basis for the various spectrum bands in 13-42 GHz range whereas the assignment of MWB carriers should be done on a link-to-link basis.
"Assignment of both access spectrum and MWA carriers should be done simultaneously within a period of one month from the date the TSP makes the payment for access spectrum," Trai said.

Trai also proposed that in order to increase broadband penetration in India, the usage of high capacity back haul E-band (71-76 / 81-86 GHz) and V-band (57-64MHz) may be explored for allocation to the telecom service providers.