EGoM wants four 3G-players in metros
15 Jan 2010
The vexatious ssue of 3G licensing is nowhere near being resolved as the empowered group of ministers on 3G divided on the number of private players to be allowed.
The EGoM was meeting to finalise the notice inviting applications (NIA) prepared by the DoT, which wanted only three private telecom operators to be alowed to provide 3G services.
Some ministers in the group have demanded that four operators in each metro be allowed to operate, against the department's of telecom's recommendation of three operators.
In its last meeting, the EGoM had agreed to allow four blocks of 3G spectrum.
These ministers want at least four blocks of 3G spectrum to be auctioned all over the country or in the metros at least. they want the public sector BSNL and MTNL to be moved to another frequency band to widen the structure, requiring the concurrence of the defence ministry to vacate some of the spectrum it uses.
Representatives of the defence ministry are fiercely opposed to this.
