The Hindu Business Line : COAI, RCom spar over spectrum efficiency

New Delhi, July 16 GSM operators and Reliance Communication are at loggerheads once again, this time over spectrum efficiency. While Reliance Communications has alleged that GSM operators were not using radio frequency efficiently, the Cellular Operators Association of India has rubbished the claims on the ground that the methodology adopted by Reliance for arriving at the conclusion was incorrect.

In its response to a TRAI consultation paper, Reliance has stated that GSM operators served 135 million customers with about 37.2 MHz spectrum, which translated to 3.62 million subscribers per MHz. In comparison, China serves 425 million GSM customers with 50 MHz spectrum or 8.5 million subscribers per MHz.

Countering the claims, COAI, which represents the GSM operators, said, “It is well known to any competent telecom engineer/expert that subscribers per MHz is a completely incorrect way of adjudging the efficient utilisation of spectrum. The correct parameter for assessing spectrum requirements/utilisation is based on spectrum utilisation efficiency measured in erlangs in busy hour per MHz per Sq. Km.”

In an internal note, COAI said the above approach had been advocated by ITU and was in fact, followed even in US. Even TRAI in its present consultation paper has referred to subscriber density with reference to the geographic area. The parameter of subscribers per MHz per service area is incorrect as it does not take into account key aspects such as geographical coverage area, subscriber concentrations, traffic profile and grade of service.”

GSM operators said that even if one were to go by the method adopted by Reliance then it would mean that CDMA operators are less efficient. “The total CDMA subscriber base as of end ay 2007 is 46.8 million – shared amongst an average of 3-4 operators with around 15 MHz spectrum, working out to 3.12 million per MHz. Thus CDMA with it self proclaimed five times higher capacity and even with the double capacity recognised by the Government, is serving less subscribers per MHz than GSM,” said the COAI note.

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COAI, RCom spar over spectrum efficiency