The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) are at war over the subject of issuing licences to new telecom operators on a first-come-first-served basis. The DoT has said that it just followed the recommendations framed by the TRAI.

However, responding to the contentious issue, the TRAI said that issuing licences and issuing spectrum to exisitng players are two different things, adding, DoT was confusing the two when it is refers to TRAI recommendations on this issue. It further clarified that it never recommended the first-come, first-served basis for allotment of new licences but such a policy was only in reference to spectrum for existing players. TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra told a national daily that the 2003 TRAI recommendations clearly say that new entrants should be brought in through multi-stage bidding.

Meanwhile, the DoT has claimed that during the regime of predecessors of the current Communications and IT minister A Raja, licences were issued on a first-come, first-served basis and Raja has continued with the same policy.