Tatas seek DoT nod for GSM mobile services in 22 circles

NEW DELHI: Tata Teleservices, a CDMA player, on Monday sought the Department of Telecom's (DoT) permission for offering GSM-based mobile services across the country.

DoT sources said the company has applied for GSM spectrum for 22 circles under its Unified Access Services Licences.

Last week, DoT allowed cross-over technology under which an operator can offer both CDMA and GSM based mobile services with the same licence after paying the entry fee of an UAS license which is about Rs 1,660 crore.

TTSL's CDMA rival Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Communications, which had applied for GSM spectrum last year, was given the Letter of Intent last week for starting pan- India GSM service. The company has also paid the required fee.

While RCoM was already offering GSM services under a different licence given to its sister concern Reliance Telecom, for Tatas it will be a foray into GSM technology.

When granted the necessary approvals, Tatas will be given 4.4 Mhz of initial spectrum to roll out GSM services.