By IANS
New Delhi : The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Wednesday filed a fresh affidavit to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal over the Telecom Engineering Centre’s (TEC) report on spectrum allocation.
The affidavit challenges the recent allocation of additional spectrum to state-run operators Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), sources said.
TEC, the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), had submitted its report on Oct 31, suggesting up to eight times increase in subscriber base for allotment of additional spectrum.
This was given “in-principle” approval by DoT. However, with tremendous pressure from the leading GSM players such as Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, the government Tuesday announced the formation of another committee.
The committee, apart from DoT officials, would also consist of COAI representatives and Association of Unified Service Providers of India, a leading CDMA body. It is expected to submit its report within the next 20 days.