'Spectrum release after tackling security concerns'
Certain quarters of the armed forces have expressed security concerns that need to be addressed before taking a decision to release spectrum, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that a solution for releasing spectrum to the Department of Telecommunication for mobile telephony would be arrived at only after meeting all security concerns of the armed forces.
Certain quarters of the armed forces have expressed security concerns that need to be addressed before taking a decision to release spectrum, Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a conference of Coast Guard commanders.
"We are one government. Some security concerns are there. We will try and find a solution but before that we have to address all the concerns," he said.
Antony, replying to questions on the release of the spectrum, said all concerned parties were trying to find an amicable solution to this issue.
Asked when a solution could be expected, pat came the reply from the minister: "At the earliest."
The government has constituted a Group of Ministers to look into spectrum allocation and during its recent meeting, it decided to form a technical assessment committee to identify areas where frequency can be vacated by the Defence Ministry.
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Sources in the ministry said the three services -- army, navy and air force -- have demanded a secure network before releasing spectrum for civilian use.
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