TRAI says it never sought auction of 2G spectrum

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday told a special court in Delhi that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India held contradictory stands on various issues related to telecom, including on whether telecom services and spectrum were a source of revenue.

The CBI said this while submitting a TRAI report in the court of special judge O P Saini in response to the demand made by former telecom minister A Raja and other accused in the 2G scam case.

The TRAI report, submitted to the CBI last month, states that it did not recommend any auction of mobile permits or an increase in the entry fee for new players. It implies that there was no loss to the exchequer on account of former telecom minister, A Raja, giving away mobile permits to nine companies in 2008 at prices fixed in 2001.

The CBI said it was still waiting for clarification from TRAI on various issues related to 2G spectrum allocation.

The CBI asked for and was granted a week to file its reply on the report of the law ministry that clarified the definition of the word 'associate' as per clause 8 of Unified Access Services Licences guidelines.

The court will now hear the case on 15 September, when it is also expected to decide on framing of charges against the 17 accused.