The Hindu Business Line : Exclusive spectrum band for Defence mooted

IN a bid to find a solution to the spectrum crunch being faced by operators, the Government is exploring the possibility of creating an exclusive `Defence Band' for spectrum usage by the largest consumer of radio frequency — the armed forces.

The proposed move will bring all frequency bands being used by the various defence agencies within a single band and is aimed at making more spectrum available for civilian use like mobile services. The defence forces have also been asked to estimate the cost incurred in procuring the latest in communication equipment in the event of moving to the new frequency band.

At present, the spectrum used by the armed forces is spread in small bands across various radio spectrum, which is common to what commercial consumers like mobile operators use. The armed forces have also been handicapped due to lack of availability of the latest equipment for efficient utilisation of spectrum.

Eurocom standards: Countries in Europe and North America have separated their military bands and civilian bands on Eurocom standards. In India, military equipment still runs on technology from erstwhile Soviet Union origin while civilian users like cellular operators are using western equipment.

Almost all the countries such as the US, China, the UK, France and Germany have earmarked their Defence Band, which allows the commercial users to launch services without any hindrance to national security.

"This would enable adequate spectrum for service providers as well as for the defence services. This will also help in better planning and development of equipment by both the Defence and the industry. This will also reduce the waiting period for assignment of frequency and there will not be any need for constant vacation and migration which can be time consuming," said a Government source.

Sources said technical experts from the DoT and Defence have been asked to look into the proposal to work out the details.

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