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The dispute between the defence ministry and DoT has once again resulted in the putting off of the forthcoming 3G and BWA spectrum auctions.
Sources from DoT mention that the Defence Ministry along with showing reluctance for vacating additional spectrum is also claiming that the vacant spectrum, which DoT has chosen for auctioning, is the property of the Armed Forces.
Defence Ministry cites that the release of the vacant spectrum will come along with the equipment as well as advanced weapons/radar systems relocation, as these would have been developed adhering to certain specs of the spectrum.
The government had sanctioned four slots of 5 MHz each in the 2.1 GHz band in most circles for auctioning and had also admitted that the four slots are not readily available in all the circles. With this new claim, government will have to face more pressure for availing spectrum.
Along with the clearance of the Information Memorandum, the document that gives information on auction process and methodology is not yet available.
Now the telecom operators who are waiting to participate in auction are not sure whether spectrum will be released before IM is cleared. The next week or two are critical and will determine whether the 3G auctions follow the schedule or are delayed to end January/February 2010.
