New Delhi, March 30: The department of telecommunications (DoT) has come out with new subscriber-based criteria to allot spectrum to mobile telephone operators. Under the new norms, allocations will depend on the size of an operator’s subscriber base in a circle.

The new policy has come into force with immediate effect and the wireless planning co-ordination (WPC) wing of the department of telecommunication has already issued necessary instructions.

Under the existing system, frequencies are allotted in the range of 2.5 mhz to 5 mhz for CDMA players and 4.4 mhz to 8 mhz for GSM operators.

The new policy has prescribed the least number of subscribers required to raise CDMA spectrum beyond 5 mhz to 6.25 mhz and 7.5 MHz. For GSM players, levels beyond 8 mhz would be 10 mhz, 12.4 mhz and 15 mhz of spectrum, depending on user bases.

Additional spectrum allocation will depend on the number of users in a city if it is a metro and in a circle if it falls under the A, B or C category states.

For the metro service areas ? Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta ? a CDMA player must have at least 16 lakh subscribers to be eligible for the 6.25 mhz and 21 lakh for the 7.5 mhz, respectively. A GSM operator must have 3 lakh users in the metro circles to be eligible for 6.2 mhz spectrum; 6 lakh for 8 mhz; 10 lakh for 10 mhz; 16 lakh for 12.4 mhz and 21 lakh for 15 mhz.

Effectively, this means that in Delhi, among GSM operators, Bharti and Hutch, both of whom have a subscriber base of more than 16 lakh, will be eligible for 12.4 mhz bandwidth. Idea, however, with a lower subscriber base, will be eligible for a spectrum of 8 mhz.

In A category circles of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, CDMA players with a user base of 20 lakh would be eligible for the 6.25 mhz and those having 26 lakh users can get the 7.5 mhz spectrum.