NEW DELHI: Tata Teleservices has been granted the initial 4.4 MHz spectrum license in the Delhi telecommunications circle, local reports have indicated. It comes after much speculation over when, and if, the local government would push through the license. The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on telecom policy said that “the operator should be allotted the spectrum for the Delhi service area as the company already paid the requisite fee in 2008.” Still, Tata Teleservices will “only get the spectrum in 2013, after the 2G spectrum auction, provided enough frequencies are available.” Tata Teleservices will not need to pay anything extra, as the spectrum will not be re-priced based on the auction outcome. In 2011, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to allot 2G start-up spectrum of 4.4 MHz to Tata Teleservices. Tata Teleservices also filed two petitions before TDSAT seeking additional spectrum of 1.8 MHz before the proposed auction.
