Bharti Airtel wants first right of refusal on 2G spectrum for operators

Companies holding 2G spectrum should have the first right of refusal over the radio waves held by them, after the expiry of their rights, and before the spectrum is put up for auction, says leading mobile telecom services provider, Bharti Airtel.

''We recommend that the entity holding the spectrum should have the right of first refusal upon expiry of spectrum rights. In case the entity decides not to exercise the option to renew, the spectrum should be auctioned again in a fair and transparent manner,'' Bharti said in a communication to the Department of Telecom (DoT).

The observations come as part of the company's comments on the Draft National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2011 sent to the telecom ministry.

Regarding the guidelines for mergers and acquisitions (M&As), the company said that they should be liberalised to facilitate consolidation in the telecom sector.
''... in order to facilitate consolidation we recommend that the M&A guidelines should be liberal, forward looking, equitable and non-discriminatory,'' the company said in a statement.

Another suggestion from the company concerned the New Telecom Policy 2011, which, it said should clarify that the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) excluded non-telecom activities.

''To remove regulatory arbitrage, we suggest a uniform licence fee of not more than 6 per cent of AGR for all licencees,'' the letter added.