Revelations that DoT failed to inform Telcos put Raja in a spot

NEW DELHI: In a major embarrassment for communications minister A Raja, the defence ministry has alleged that the Department of Telecom (DoT) failed to inform service providers that it had vacated two blocks of third-generation (3G) spectrum for the upcoming auctions.

Mr Raja, in a communication to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee dated October 26, had said the armed forces must vacate 3G airwaves ahead of the auctions scheduled for early January 2010. The defence ministry in its reply has said that enough airwaves to accommodate two players had been vacated by October 22, while adding that the DoT had failed to share this information with the country���s telecom operators.

The revelations by the defence ministry changes the contours of the 3G auctions scheduled to begin on January 14, 2010. This is because, spectrum starved circles now have airwaves to be part of the auction process. Besides, operators will have to re-plan their auction strategy as there will be four 3G slots for GSM players in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh (West) and Himachal Pradesh in line with all other circles. Besides, Rajasthan and all the North-East states can also accommodate two GSM-based 3G operators while West Bengal can now have three slots.

Mr Raja had shot of his communication to Mr Mukherjee two days after the DoT had released the information memorandum (IM), which detailed all issues, including the availability of 3G airwaves across all circles and the auction modalities . Mr Mukherjee also heads the interministerial panel that is looking into all issues associated with the 3G auctions.

Earlier the UPA government had decided to auction four slots of 3G airwaves for GSM players in all circles in the country. But, in the IM, the DoT had informed all telcos that there will only be two 3G slots in the states of Delhi and Gujarat, while there were no third generation airwaves for auction in the circles of Rajasthan and all North East states (except Assam).