Reliance detaches itself from COAI stand on spectrums
As GSM mobile operators prepare to fight it out with the government for more spectrums, Reliance Telecom Ltd said it does not agree with them.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: As GSM mobile operators prepare to fight it out with the government for more spectrums, Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Telecom Ltd said it did not agree with the recent notice of GSM players' body, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which threatened legal action against the department, according to the Department of Telecom sources.
In the letter, RTL said there are enough spectrums in the country to achieve 80 per cent teledensity and if 10 MHz of radiowave was allocated to every operator and they use spectrum efficient technology, the question of scarcity will not arise.
This is not the first time that RTL has come out with such a view, as it took a similar position in its reply to TRAI's consultation paper on telecom reforms earlier.
COAI had slapped a legal notice on the government asking for allocation of requisite spectrum to GSM players as per the subscriber-linked criteria. It had also said that GSM players were facing a severe spectrum crunch for the last three years.
When contacted, COAI sources said Reliance Telecom was not a party to its notice to DoT on the spectrum issue, as it had a different view.
RTL had supported the migration of limited mobility operator to full mobility, even though COAI was opposed to it, the association sources said.
Reliance has both GSM and CDMA operations, but CDMA is bigger with presence in all telecom circles. RTL's stance on spectrum allocation is surprising given the company's plan to have a pan-India presence. It has also applied for spectrum.
In the letter, RTL said there are enough spectrums in the country to achieve 80 per cent teledensity and if 10 MHz of radiowave was allocated to every operator and they use spectrum efficient technology, the question of scarcity will not arise.
This is not the first time that RTL has come out with such a view, as it took a similar position in its reply to TRAI's consultation paper on telecom reforms earlier.
COAI had slapped a legal notice on the government asking for allocation of requisite spectrum to GSM players as per the subscriber-linked criteria. It had also said that GSM players were facing a severe spectrum crunch for the last three years.
When contacted, COAI sources said Reliance Telecom was not a party to its notice to DoT on the spectrum issue, as it had a different view.
RTL had supported the migration of limited mobility operator to full mobility, even though COAI was opposed to it, the association sources said.
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Reliance has both GSM and CDMA operations, but CDMA is bigger with presence in all telecom circles. RTL's stance on spectrum allocation is surprising given the company's plan to have a pan-India presence. It has also applied for spectrum.
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