We will decide on spectrum sharing in 2 mths: Scindia

NEW DELHI: The government may allow telcos to share spectrum and a decision on this will be will be taken within two months, junior telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said at an Assocham event here on Friday. Indian regulations allow telcos to share all infrastructure except radio frequencies. While spectrum sharing is not permitted in any country globally, this is seen as a feasible option to address the crunch and enable more players to enter the telecom space.

Countries such as the US, however, allow operators to trade spectrum.

Mr Scindia’s comments, however, contradicts the views expressed by telecom secretary Sidhharth Behura. Just a day ealier, Mr Behura had said that the DoT was not considering any such proposal: “I am not aware of any such development,” he had said. Even as Mr Behura denied any such development, ET has learnt that Mr Scindia has already held a round of discussion with the DoT on the issue of spectrum sharing last week. DoT in an internal communication last week had listed out the pros and cons of becoming the first country in the world to allow spectrum sharing.

Source : Economic Times