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The Communication and IT Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, met the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to brief him about the complexities around fixing a price for 2G spectrum.
The Telecom Commission met more than four times on this issue but could not arrive at a consensus. The issue was sent to the law ministry for opinion. According to sources, this could now be referred to a Group of Ministers before presenting it to the Cabinet.
The key issue is whether the fee should be fixed beyond 6.2 Mhz or for all players with more than 4.4 Mhz. While the incumbent operators want the fee to be fixed for all airwaves above 4.4 Mhz, the new players want 6.2 Mhz to be given as part of the existing licence.
The other issue is whether the fee should be fixed based on TRAI formula or should it be derived through an auction. Sources said that the policy will have major ramifications for the industry, and hence, the Telecom Ministry is consulting all agencies before taking a final call.
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