COAI Raises Concern Over Trai Proposal on Spectrum Cap

Industry body COAI Thursday raised concern over new proposal to change upper limit of spectrum holding as the association apprehends that it can impact level playing field in the market and concentrate premium spectrum in the hands of one player.

"...the proposal of a new spectrum cap for sub GHz , which once enforced, will promote the spectrum concentration in a specific band with a single operator," COAI said in a letter to Trai Chairman RS Sharma.

The regulator in its consultation paper for next round of spectrum auction has sought view of interested parties asking whether instead of limiting spectrum holding bandwise spectrum cap can be clubbed across all sub-1GHz spectrum bands i.e. 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands and impose a limit on spectrum that one TSP can acquire in these bands.

COAI said that as suggested by Trai, spectrum caps are designed and enforced to prevent spectrum concentrations in one or two operators.

The present spectrum cap rule limit radiowaves holding of a telecom operator to 50 percent in a spectrum band identified fit for transmitting mobile signals and 25 percent of the total such spectrum assigned in a telecom circle.