Why are telecom firms so keen to own contentious E and V spectrum bands?

Telcos want them to be auctioned; internet service providers want them to be delicensed. In between is the battle to capture the lucrative and fast-expanding market for data services

The clarion call from telecom companies (telcos) was unanimous: The contentious E and V bands have to be auctioned like any other spectrum. And just last week they sent a strongly worded letter through the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) to communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to the effect that any move otherwise would be “legally untenable, destroying the level playing field” and lead to huge revenue losses for the government.

But the opposition, led by the Broadband India Forum (BIF) with star members such as Facebook, Google and chip maker Qualcomm, is equally vehement. They are demanding that