Telecom minister A. Raja in New Delhi on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture

New Delhi, Oct. 24: Spectrum allocation to telecom operators is likely to get delayed because the government is yet to hear from its technical panel on the issue.

Besides, the government had also promised the Telecom Disputes Appellate Settlement Tribunal (TDSAT) that it would not allocate spectrum before November 12.

The TDSAT is hearing a petition of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a lobby group of GSM operators, challenging the government’s move to enhance subscriber requirements for extra spectrum.

Last week, the department of telecom (DoT) had accepted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) recommendation on the subscriber requirements.

Communications minister A. Raja today said the DoT would come up with specific guidelines on the allocation only after the panel — The Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) — gave its views.

To frame a methodology for allocation, the TEC is evaluating the networks of operators, extent of efficiency in spectrum use and their technology upgrade plans. It is expected to submit its report by October 31.

Raja brushed aside the COAI allegation that the DoT showed great haste in announcing the new guidelines last week. He said there were two debatable issues: allowing CDMA operators to provide services on the GSM platform and vice-versa; and increasing subscriber requirements for extra spectrum.

On dual technology, the DoT has accepted the recommendations of Trai. The other issue has been referred to the TEC, Raja said. Trai officials today said its recommendation of raising subscriber requirements for extra spectrum was not a permanent solution to the spectrum shortage.

The officials said Trai had also given some suggestions in this regard, that of setting up a multi-disciplinary committee comprising representatives from the DoT, the TEC, Trai and cellular industry associations for a new allocation criteria.

On the 500 applications for new licences, Raja said the DoT wanted to complete the exercise quickly, but only after obtaining the views of the law ministry. Raja said his ministry had asked the law ministry to get the solicitor-general’s views on the issue.

“There is scarcity of spectrum and number of applicants are much more than actually can be accommodated. Applications must be synchronised by a legal process,” he said.