CDMA operators call for levelling imbalances

New Delhi, Aug 9 (UNI) A group representing CDMA players in the country today urged the Centre to address the imbalances within the 2G spectrum bands and said the government has constrained the operators in this platform to only half of the amount of spectrum made available to GSM operators.

The group, CDMA Development Group (CDG) has recommended that the ''unfair policy'' must be rectified and made consistent with the proposed 3G spectrum policy which places all players on a level playing field.

''Establishing a level playing field through auctioning with a reserve price for allocation of 3G spectrum and other universally accepted principles should be applied to both 2G and 3G spectrum allocations and assignments in India,'' CDG India Country Head B V Raman said.

Particularly, 2G spectrum allocated in excess of the contracted amount of 4.4 MHz and 6.2 MHz to GSM players must be made chargeable and all further allocation of 2G spectrum should be auctioned, Mr Raman added.

Further, it has said that if what is being widely reported becomes the 3G spectrum Policy, the reach of telephone and internet access will be limited without the full assignment of the 450 MHz and the 1900 MHz frequency bands.

''Assigning 3G spectrum in the 800 MHz frequency band for the CDMA Operators is welcome but the allocation of just one carrier each of 2x1.25 MHz is highly inadequate compared to the 10 MHz allocation in the 2100 MHz band,'' Mr Raran said.

In a related development, the Association of United Service Providers of India (AUSPI), apex body of CDMA operators in the country, has written a letter to the telecom minister asking the government to look into spectrum allocation to GSM operators in the country.

AUSPI had earlier alleged that GSM operators were given spectrum ''way beyond their licence conditions''.

The association has asked the government to look into the criteria for additional spectrum allocation to GSM players from 1995 onwards till 2002.

UNI