Don't allocate spectrum before court verdict: cell operators
Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 20:30 IST
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New Delhi: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Wednesday said it has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) not to allocate radio frequencies to operators until the case is heard by the Delhi High Court. COAI is a body representing leading telecom operators offering services under the global system of mobile communication (GSM) technology such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Spice. The High Court Monday deferred the case filed by COAI till Jan 3. The court also refused to immediately halt the spectrum or airwaves allocation process, as requested by these operators. The process has already been started by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). "It is earnestly requested that DoT do await the decision of the court and not proceed with allotment of GSM spectrum to CDMA operators," the letter said. COAI also said that any attempt to allocate the spectrum before Jan 3 would mean "over-reaching and pre-empting a court decision." The DoT planned to start awarding new licences coupled with radio spectrum to mobile firms who had applied as of Sep 25, after the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) stayed the government's decision. This had then induced COAI to move court last week challenging TDSAT's interim order. India is adding a whopping eight million wireless subscribers in a month, which has led to a severe constraint on the availability of frequencies, which in turn has led to various other problems such as congestion, call drops and poor service quality.
Source: IANS