Mumbai: TRAI has suggested restricting of spectrum sharing to maximum two operators only. The regulator has also recommended that the government should allow sharing of even 3G spectrum which was specifically barred earlier.
However, it has suggested that sharing of spectrum in same frequency bands should be allowed. This means a company cannot share 4G spectrum with another company that does not hold the same spectrum, or 3G with company not holding 3G spectrum. TRAI has recommended that telecom operators may only need to inform licensing authority, at present DoT, about their agreement on spectrum sharing and require no permission from government for sharing of airwaves.
However, the Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing (WPC), which is custodian of spectrum, will have authority to raise objection, if any, to spectrum sharing agreement. In this case, TRAI recommended that WPC should inform about objection within 15 days and companies entered into agreement should reply to the WPC within the next 15 days of the receiving of the communication from the wing.
"The WPC will take a final decision and communicate within the next 15 days to the licensees. If WPC does not make any communication within the prescribed period, it will be assumed that the sharing agreement has become operational," TRAI recommended. The regulator clarified that spectrum sharing should not mean merger of networks. "Spectrum sharing will be restricted to sharing by only two licensees subject to the condition that there will be at least two independent networks provided in the same band," TRAI said. TRAI has recommended that DoT should levy one-time non-refundable fee of Rs 50,000 per operator for each service area in which they opt for spectrum sharing.
The regulator has recommended that 50 per cent of spectrum held by one telecom operator in the spectrum band being shared will be considered as additional spectrum for the other for calculation purpose under the spectrum cap rule. As per the rule, a telecom company can hold maximum of 50 per cent spectrum assigned to all companies in a circle and 25 per cent in a frequency band. The recommendation of TRAI will be studied by the DoT and placed before inter-ministerial panel Telecom Commission (TC) for their decision.
