PowerGrid not yet ready to vacate airwaves

MUMBAI: After the defence forces, it���s now the PowerGrid Corporation which is not prepared to vacate spectrum ahead of the auction in January. The department of telecom (DoT) has asked PowerGrid to vacate spectrum for WiMax (wireless broadband) services in the 2.3GHz-2.4GHz range as soon as possible.

However, PowerGrid has cited various constraints in shifting to any other band or to upper half of the same band. Due to this, the DoT is running short of spectrum required for broadband wireless access (BWA) in six circles, including Delhi.

���For long-term requirement, we have to refarm the whole band and PowerGrid should start working for spectrum vacation either by switching over to optic fibre cable (OFC) or any other frequency band keeping in view the operational requirements,��� DoT officials told PowerGrid top brass at a meeting in New Delhi last week. DoT is planning to hold simultaneous auction of spectrum for 3G and WiMax services in January next year. Tata Communications and BSNL are among companies betting big on WiMax in India.

PowerGrid and some other PSUs use this spectrum for their point-to-point communication links. While Gail India, Railways, ONGC, National Thermal Power Corp, Northern Coal Field and others have shifted to OFC, being built by BSNL, Power Grid has not done so yet. Of the spectrum being used by PowerGrid, DoT urgently needs 50MHz spectrum in the 2.3GHz-2.4GHz band. ���PowerGrid should work out a solution with wireless planning commission regarding shifting of frequencies,��� DoT said.