CDMA players support TRAI's recommendations

Telecom regulator TRAI's recent recommendations on spectrum allocation for starting next generation 3G mobile services, which drew flak from GSM operators, today got obvious support from rival CDMA players.

The recommendations are consistent with the fair and transparent manner for allocating the scarce spectrum, the CDMA Development Group (CDG) said in a statement here.

However, the group said the policy of allocating spectrum for 2G (existing) mobile services is "subjective" and asked the telecom regulator to make it consistent with its recent recommendations on allocating 3G spectrum.

By subjectively allocating 2G spectrum on an incremental basis based on an operator's reported subscriber numbers and a dated spectrum efficient analysis, CDMA operators are constrained to only half of the amount of spectrum available to GSM operators, it said.

Earlier this week, TRAI had suggested a maximum of Rs 80 crore as base price for acquisition of spectrum to start 3G mobile services in category 'A' circles, Delhi and Mumbai, Rs 40 crore for category 'B' circles and metro Chennai and Kolkata and Rs 15 crore for category 'C' circles.

Since the spectrum is scarce and number of operators are more TRAI has suggested bidding route for 3G spectrum over and above the base price.

The spectrum for immediate allocation in case of 3G services should be in 450 MHz, 800 MHz and 2.1 GHz, TRAI had said.

Cellular operators association COAI had said TRAI recommendations are in favour of CDMA players.