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Saturday, August 16, 2008

DoT seeks PMOs nod to raise 2G spectrum usage charges for telcos

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Telcos will soon have to shell out more for holding second-generation (2G) spectrum. The department of telecommunications (DoT) has sought approval of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to raise 2G spectrum usage charges for all telcos. The department’s proposal is backed by telecom regulator TRAI.

Currently, all mobile services in the country are offered on 2G frequencies and telecom operators pay 2-6% of their annual gross revenue (AGR), depending on the amount of spectrum they hold, as usage charges to the government.
The DoT move implies that all telcos will have to pay higher spectrum usage charges, irrespective of the quantity they hold.

This differs from its earlier plan to increase spectrum charges only for those telcos who hold over 6.2 MHz per circle in case of GSM players and above 5 MHz for CDMA. The DoT has now told the PMO that it cannot increase spectrum charges only for operators holding more than 6.2 MHz of spectrum.

Its rationale—only large GSM players and state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL hold radio frequencies above 6.2 MHz and increasing the charges only for these operators would be a discriminatory and lopsided move. No CDMA operator holds more than 5 MHz of radio frequencies.

Telecom regulator Trai had recommended that the government increase spectrum charges by 1% only for telcos who hold radio frequencies beyond 6.2 MHz. However, DoT’s proposal will see a 1% increase in spectrum usage charges for upto 6.2 MHz for GSM and 5 MHz for CDMA. Beyond these limits, the DoT has prescribed a 2% increase in spectrum charges. DoT has told the PMO that it has Trai’s approval for its recommendations.

In its communiqué to the PMO, the DoT has noted: “We are suggesting an across-the-board rise of 1% of AGR along with the introduction of a new spectrum slab of 8 MHz. Effectively, it will mean a 1% increase for spectrum allocations upto 6.2 Mhz and 2% beyond that compared to existing rates. Trai has agreed with the current DoT proposal on spectrum usage charges.”

Justifying the move to increase spectrum charges for all operators, the DoT said: “Over 60% of the current revenue is provided by spectrum range up to 6.2 MHz. (This is because, most players hold less than 6.2 MHz spectrum per circle and even large players have radio frequencies beyond this mark only in select circles). Accordingly, if this range is not included in the revision of spectrum usage charges, the overall contribution from the rate increase would appear lopsided and unfair.”

The DoT has said that as per its estimates, the government is slated to earn about Rs 3,812 crore as spectrum usage charges in 2008-09. Touching on the impact of the decision, DoT notes: “The estimation of the impact of the 1% rise in 4.4 MHz spectrum indicates an average increase of Rs 1 crore for every Rs 100 crore that the operator earns. This is very significant as the revenues of operators are increasing.”

Currently, a GSM operator holding 4.4 MHz of spectrum and a CDMA player with 2.5 MHz pay 2% of their AGR as spectrum usage charges. For GSM players holding 6.2 MHz and CDMA operators with 5 MHz of spectrum, the usage charges stand at 3% of AGR. The DoT has sought approval to increase these charges by 1%.

Source : Economic Times

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

TRAI, DoT lock horns on 3G policy

NEW DELHI: TRAI’s recent letter to DoT, highlighting shortcomings in the government 3G policy, has kicked up differences between the telecom regulator and DoT.

TRAI, in its letter, has highlighted six shortcomings in the 3G auction guidelines that were announced recently. The most significant one that can impact exchequer revenue relates to the need for an “amended’ ’ unified access service licence (UASL), which needs to be acquired by every successful new entrant in the 3G space.

TRAI, in its letter to DoT, concludes that a reading of the 3G guidelines “implies that in case a non-licencee becomes successful bidder, he will be given a new (modified) UASL without the provision of 2G spectrum (spectrum in the 800, 900 & 1800mhz) at an entry fee equal to the entry fee of UAS licence’’ .

While announcing the 3G guidelines, telecom minister A Raja had confirmed that universal licences for new 3G entrants—costing Rs 1,651 crore— will come without 2G spectrum. Potential bidders have also complained that this is “unjustifiable and discriminatory’’ . Now, in contrast to TRAI and Raja’s conclusions, a senior DoT official told TOI that “new 3G entrants will, by virtue of their universal licence , be eligible for 4.4 MHz of spectrum as per the law of the land and can also join the 2G queue’’ .

This fresh twist is set to spark more confusion among potential bidders.

TRAI has thrown another spanner by informing DoT that it needs to receive recommendations from the regulator if any amendment of the licence agreement is proposed. “As this would require the terms and conditions of this new licence , including the annual licence fee, the authority would like to draw the attention of DoT to section 11 of the TRAI Act wherein recommendations of TRAI are necessary,’’ the regulator wrote.

DoT will find this letter tough to ignore, considering TRAI’s principled and legally valid stance on the matter. Equally, TRAI is obliged to engage in a public consultation process. All this could take months. Meanwhile, all this confusion could help new entrants make a killing. A shareholder in a pan-India 2G firm that received a letter of intent (LoI) on January 10 for 2G spectrum told TOI that 3G entrants will be better off while striking deals with new entrants before participating in auctions. The firm, which paid Rs 1,651 crore for 4.4mhz spectrum, has term sheets doing the rounds boasting of an enterprise value of Rs 6,000 crore, without even spectrum in hand.

“Even if new 3G entrants join the 2G spectrum queue, everyone knows there is no spectrum to give, so why should they pay the government Rs 1,651 crore for just a licence. They would be wiser to buy into a company like us which has assured spectrum,’’ he told TOI.

Source : Economic Times

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Airtel building landing station for two cable systems in Mumbai

MUMBAI: In a bid to strengthen its international business, Bharti Airtel is building a landing station for its two new cable systems terminating in Mumbai—Europe India Gateway (EIG) and India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE). This new station at Mumbai will complete the crucial `redundancy piece’ (which can be used in case of any emergency) in Bharti’s submarine cable systems.

Besides fortifying Bharti’s capability to offer transit services to Middle East and European traffic, it will provide redundancy to the company’s two Chennai landing stations. While Bharti has not revealed the investment being made at the new landing station in Mumbai, analysts peg it at between $70-$80 million.

“We have been making investment (in the Mumbai landing station) over time. One of the key focus areas for us is to develop Mumbai as a strong hub for business. It will be the second hub of operations for us,” Bharti Airtel president for Enterprise business David Nishball told ET.

“One of the key elements we wanted to add to our value proposition for our enterprise customers was the landing station diversity. The Mumbai station will allow diverse routing for IPLC (international private leased circuit) and strengthen our position in the BFSI segment,” he added.

Bharti has invested over $100 million in the two cable systems that will land in Mumbai. EIG is a $700 million cable system, which will connect 13 countries across three continents. IMEWE will connect India with Europe, via Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Cyprus, Morocco and Italy and is expected to be operational by the middle of next year.

Source : Economics Times

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Finance ministry wants 3G policy put on hold

NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: In a move that may delay the rollout of 3G services in the country, the finance ministry has asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to put the 3G policy on hold as it was not consulted on the financial implications of the guidelines. The finance ministry has said DoT has contravened an earlier Cabinet decision, which had stipulated that spectrum pricing would be mutually finalised between both the ministries.

Earlier this month, communications minister A Raja lifted the curtain on the 3G policy, which would enable telecom operators to offer high-end services such as video conferencing, faster downloads of music and movies, interactive gaming and high-speed internet. Mr Raja had announced a reserve price of Rs 2,020 crore for auction of pan-India 3G spectrum for GSM operators and about Rs 505 crore for pan-India WiMAX radio frequencies. As per the current schedule, the auction for 3G spectrum will be held within the next three months, spectrum allotted by the year-end and services launched by mid-2009.

The finance ministry has taken the line that DoT has breached protocol as it arrived at these figures (the reserve prices) without consulting it. Finance secretary D Subbarao, in a strongly-worded letter to the communications ministry on Wednesday, said: “The guidelines issued on August 1, 2008 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on auction and allotment of spectrum of 3G and broadband wireless access (BWA, also known as WiMAX) telecom services, contain clauses with financial implications such as determination of the spectrum acquisition price and reserve price for auction, fixation of spectrum usage charges and penalties for hoarding of spectrum. However, the ministry of finance (MoF) has not been consulted in the matter.”

In a bid to drive home the seriousness of the issue, the finance secretary has told DoT that as per the Transaction of Business (TOB) Rules, it is mandatory to have consultations with the finance ministry “as a pre-condition to all issues which have financial implications”.

Mr Subbarao also added that the Union Cabinet, in its meeting on October 31, 2007 had decided that spectrum would be decided mutually between the DoT and the finance ministry. “The issuance of (3G) guidelines without any consultation with the finance ministry, either within the forum of Telecom Commission or outside, is inappropriate and contrary to the Cabinet decision,” the finance secretary’s communication read.

This marks the second instance of differences having cropped up between different government wings over the recently-announced 3G spectrum policy. As reported first by ET, telecom regulator Trai has asked the DoT to review the 3G policy while adding that the government’s decision to allot 3G spectrum to CDMA players without an auction was against the principles of equality.

This is because the policy gives CDMA operators one slot in the 800 MHz band — the most efficient and cost-effective frequency for CDMA players — to offer high-end services, with the rider that the largest operator in a circle would walk away with it.

Source : Economics Times

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CDMA cos too must bid for 3G: TRAI

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Cracks have surfaced in the recently announced 3G spectrum policy. Telecom regulator TRAI has said the government’s decision to allot third generation (3G) spectrum to CDMA players without an auction is against the principles of equality.

This is because the policy gives CDMA operators ‘one’ slot in the 800 MHz band — the most efficient and cost-effective frequency for CDMA players to offer high-end services — with a rider that the largest operator in a circle would get it. This means Reliance Communications, with the largest subscriber base in all circles, except Delhi and Maharashtra, will be given 3G spectrum ahead of other CDMA players Tata Teleservices, BSNL, MTNL and Shyam Telecom in the 800 MHz frequency band.

DoT currently has 3G frequencies in the 800 MHz to accommodate only one CDMA player. ET has also learnt that it will take over a year for the defence forces to free additional frequencies in the 800 MHz band. This means other CDMA players will have to wait for over a year and the position can change only if there’s an auction. On the other hand, GSM players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular will have to go through a global auction to get 3G spectrum.

Earlier this month, communications minister A Raja had unveiled the 3G policy which would help telecom operators to offer high-end services such as video conferencing, faster downloads of music and movies, interactive gaming and high speed internet.

TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra in a August 8, 2008 communication to DoT secretary S Behura has said: “Since various service providers have been given licences in different service areas at different time periods, TRAI believes that keeping the subscriber base as the criterion for deciding the priority of spectrum allotment shall go against the level-playing field and the principle of equity.”

Additionally, Mr Misra also said RCOM and Tata Teleservices apart, several other players such as BSNL, MTNL and Shyam Telecom have been given the licence to offer CDMA services. “So, the government must take the auction route to allot 3G frequencies in the 800 MHz band for CDMA players as well.”

Further, to drive home the issue’s seriousness, Mr Misra has used firm words to emphasise the need for a review of the policy: “Spectrum in the 800 MHz should be auctioned among applicants with the highest bid price received for the auction of 2.1 GHz spectrum as the reserve price. The subscriber base of the CDMA network of a service provider in any service area is a result of different environments, and cannot muster the test of fairness if it was to become the basis of priority.”

Mr Misra’s communication is likely to come as a major embarrassment to the DoT and communications minister A Raja, since both have been maintaining that the government would provide equal opportunities to all players to bid for 3G frequencies.

“RCOM will have a clear and distinct advantage. Other CDMA operators may have to wait a long time,” said an executive with a private CDMA operator who did not wish to be named.

When it was pointed out that CDMA players had the options of bidding for 3G frequencies in the 450 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, the executive said: “The best band is 800 MHz. Since CDMA players already offer 2G in this frequency, the migration to 3G would be easy. The 450 MHz band is largely for rural India. As for the 1900 MHz band, there is no timeframe when this will be made available. The policy is therefore tailormade for the largest CDMA operator.”

When contacted on the issue, Mr Misra said the regulator had sent its views to the DoT on the recently unveiled policy and added, “We are only saying that allotting 3G spectrum based on the number of subscribers is not feasible. Different operators got CDMA licences at different times and therefore the subscriber base cannot be compared.”

Source : Economic Times

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India adds 6.42 mn GSM mobile users in July

NEW DELHI: India added 6.42 million mobile users in July in its GSM-based telecom networks, an industry body said on Wednesday, accelerating the pace of user growth from the previous month. Handsets costing as low as $15 and call rates as low as 1 US cent a minute have helped India to become the world's fastest-growing market for wireless services and the second-largest market for such services after China.

In June, 6.32 million users had signed up. India had 218.9 million GSM users at the end of July, data from the Cellular Operators' Association of India showed. The data includes Reliance Communications' GSM network as of June.

Reliance Communications, the No 2 telecoms firm, a majority of whose subscribers are its CDMA network, announces subscriber numbers separately. It had added a total of 1.74 million mobile users in June to 50.8 million.

Top operator Bharti Airtel added 2.69 million users in July, taking its total to 72.1 million, the data showed. Vodafone Plc controlled Vodafone Essar, the third largest firm, had 50.95 million users at the end of July, having added 1.76 million users in the month. No. 4 mobile firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, which is gearing up for a $10 billion public offer, added 553,219 GSM mobile users in the month to end with 37.92 million.

It also had 30.9 million fixed-line users as of June. No 5 Idea Cellular, which is buying smaller Spice Communications, got 1.05 million new users in July, taking its total subscribers to 28.2 million. Spice had 4.2 million mobile users as of July.

Source : Economic Times

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