Bharti tells DoT to maintain eligibility criteria

Private telecom operator Bharti Airtel Ltd has urged Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to maintain the eligibility criteria in allocation of spectrum even for trial basis.

Private telecom operator Bharti Airtel Ltd has urged Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to maintain the eligibility criteria in allocation of spectrum even for trial basis and also to ensure that spectrum requirement of existing licencees must be considered first, before providing the same to new operators.

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Bharti Airtel Ltd claims to have achieved the criteria fixed by wireless planning commission (WPC) of having a specific number of active subscribers and the traffic and hence has sought additional spectrum for 21 more circles. However, it seems to be concerned by the recent proposal to allocate additional spectrum to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for trial purpose and also by the demand made for additional spectrum by it in a number of circles.

Last month, the BSNL had complained to DoT that WPC has not allocating additional spectrum for its GSM and third generation services, for which it was eligible as per the existing norms of spectrum allocation. In a letter the DoT secretary D S Mathur, the public sector telecom company had pointed that in many places, BSNL is finding it difficult to enhance the capacity of subscriber pressure on the mobile networks in the service areas has reached critical levels.

In a letter to DoT, Narendra Gupta, director Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Bharti Airtel Ltd, says, “It is desirable that even for trial spectrum, due consideration should be given to us in such service areas wherever the spectrum is available as per the eligibility of the operators so that no operators is allowed to jump the queue."