10/05/2012 - Myclipp

The Economic Times/ - News, Dom, 13 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Supreme Court)
Telecom regulator Trai sticks to its stance
on 2G auctions
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (Trai) has stuck to its formula for auctioning 2G
spectrum to new players as also to shifting existing
players to a new frequency at market-determined
price.
In its reply to the government, JS Sarma, the outgoing
telecom regulator, on Sunday is learnt to have made
only three "exceptions" from his earlier
recommendations, which have been lambasted by the
telecom players.
The report is due to be made public later on Sunday.
One, Trai has suggested that in states where sufficient
amount of spectrum is not available in the 800 mega
hertz (MHz) frequency, the government could consider
lowering the reserve price from two times that of
airwaves in the 1800 Mhz band to 1.3 times. This
means, instead of paying Rs 36,000 crore for 5MHz
spectrum, as was suggested earlier, operators would
be required to start bidding at around Rs 23,500 crore.
The regulator, a source said, has also suggested that
the spectrum utilisation charge be enhanced from 1%
to 3%.
Three, the watchdog has suggested that a second
block of 5MHz should be made available for bidding
wherever there is frequency available in teh 1800 MHz
band after reserving for refarming and a block
available for one operator.
Sarma's report to the government comes in the wake
of queries from the telecom commission, an
inter-ministerial panel of officers. The
recommendations come on his last day in office and
are expected to push back the schedule by a week.
The government has been given time till August 31 to
complete auction of spectrum and licences for all
operators affected by the Supreme Court ruling
cancelling 122 licences awarded by former telecom
minister A Raja, show is now in jail facing corruption
and criminal conspiracy charges.
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