Tata Teleservices has expressed reservation in shifting its current spectrum usage in the GSM band to make space for operators who won in the recent auction.

Prior to the auction, the Department of Telecom had announced that existing users of spectrum maybe be asked to shift within the same frequency band to make space if any new player won in the auction. This was done to ensure that the new player gets 5 Mhz of spectrum in one chunk.

For example in Bihar, Tata Teleservices currently operates in 1726.2Mhz- 1729 Mhz band. But this same slot has been sold to Telenor in the recently held auction. DoT wants Tata Teleservices to shift so that Telenor can be given this spectrum.

But in a letter to the DoT, Tata Teleservices has said that shifting would cost the company considerable amount of money and hence other alternatives should be looked into. One of the options suggested by the company is to give spectrum to Telenor in another band within the 1,800 Mhz, especially with so much unsold spectrum available with the Government. The company has told the DoT that in future if such re-allocation has to be carried out, then it must be done after discussing with the incumbent players.

Tata Teleservices Ltd had earlier written to the DoT Department of Telecom to release start up spectrum for its GSM services in 39 districts across the country. The company, which had got 2G licences in 2008, had not got start up spectrum of 4.4Mhz in Delhi and 39 other districts.

> thomas.thomas@thehindu.co.in

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