DoT may not grant Pitroda unused spectrum

Sam Pitroda-backed Vavasi Telegence's request for unused radio frequency to be allotted to launch mobile services across the country is unlikely to be met by the Department of Telecom (DoT) because it said international technology specifications for this wireless technology do not exist.

Instead, DoT is considering the option of allotting the company spectrum in the 400 to 430 MHz band, radio frequencies that are currently not used for mobile services in India.

The matter will be examined by the National Radio Regulatory Authority, the wireless planning & coordination wing of the ministry of communications, before the government takes a final decision.

The company, however, is yet to be allotted a licence although it has requested DoT to treat its application separately from other requests by nearly 46 companies seeking access to the lucrative Indian mobile services market. DoT has so far issued 10 licences and may consider other requests later.

Vavasi, which has applied for a licence to offer mobile services through a subsidiary Next Generation Telecom Ltd (NGTL), had originally sought the 1,785 to 1,805 MHz band of spectrum to run services. The system, christened NG1, has been field-tested.

These radio frequencies constitute the "guard or centre gap band" (meant to prevent signal interference and overlap between networks) of GSM mobile operators. A guard band is like a divider between two heavily-used roads.

NGTL had hoped that it would be able to overcome spectrum scarcity and bypass the battle between GSM and CDMA operators by getting spectrum within this band to run its network.

NGTL claims that there are commercial networks running on this technology in China and Mongolia (8 million and 50,000 subscribers respectively).

However, DoT officials said there were no networks run on this spectrum band anywhere else in the world and have pointed out that these two networks run on different spectrum bands "� 1,880 to 1,920 MHz and 2,101 to 2,025 MHz.

Also, only one Chinese manufacturer makes the equipment for this technology, DoT officials added.

DoT is unlikely to meet Vavasi Telegence's request on grounds that international technology specifications for the wireless technology it proposes do not exist

May allot spectrum in the 400 to 430 MHz band, which is currently not used for mobile services in India

The company is yet to be allotted a telecom licence although it has asked DoT to treat its application separately from other requests