Give us the spectrum we’ve won, Vodafone tells DoT

Alleging delay in allocation of airwaves, Vodafone India has asked the government to "immediately allot spectrum" for 14 circles it secured in the November 2012 auction, for which it has already made the required payments.

Pending the allocation, the licence period should not start, the company said in a letter to telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar.

"We call upon DoT (the department of telecommunications) to immediately allot us the spectrum acquired by us through auctions, for which payments have already been made and LoIs (letters of intent) were issued," it said.

The spectrum allocated to the company is still being used by operators whose licences were cancelled, Vodafone said. The company highlighted that the licence period of 20 years has been counted from 19 December 2012, when it paid Rs372 crore, but it is yet to receive the airwaves.

"The reason for the delay in the allotment of spectrum is on account of the fact that it is still being used by operators whose licences were cancelled vide the Supreme Court judgement dated February 2, 2012," Vodafone said.

The DoT conducted an auction of airwaves in November after the Supreme Court cancelled 122 licences that were allocated in 2008 under then telecom minister A Raja on an ad hoc basis and allegedly at throwaway prices.