The Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has shot off a letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) stating that crossover allocation of spectrum or dual frequency allocation is not permissible. The immediate provocation for the letter is a speculation in the marker that DoT is close to allocating frequencies that can straddle between GSM and CDMA technologies.
The letter signed by COAI director-general TV Ramachandran said: "We are greatly disturbed to hear rumours that the Government has issued, or is considering of issuing a letter to a large CDMA operator permitting the company to hold a crossover allocation of spectrum.
This is based on application filed by the company in February 2006, when such crossover allocation was clearly impermissible".
The GSM operators' body also stated that crossover is not permissible under the present policy and license regime has been recognised by both DoT and TRAI.
Further, TRAI had also stated that "such crossover is not permissible", even though the same may be allowed through an amendment in license.
COAI has also said that dual allocation of spectrum should not be permitted and in case, such an allocation needs a change in existing policy.
Moreover, a fee structure on lines of Universal Service Access Licence (UASL) should be levied before such an allocation.
"Furthermore, it would be would be completely illegal and untenable for the same to be allowed with retrospective effect. Even if crossover allotment of spectrum were to be permitted, such invalid applications cannot be converted into valid applications," it added. |
