AUSPI criticises TRAI proposals for 800MHz band

CDMA lobby group the Association of Unified Service Providers of India (AUSPI) has criticised the regulator’s recommendation of creating an extended GSM band (e-GSM) by utilising 800MHz frequencies previously reserved for CDMA services. The Economic Times writes that AUSPI – which represents the nation’s CDMA and dual-technology providers – has warned that any bid to harmonise the 800MHz range with the e-GSM band would ‘grossly undermine’ their businesses, in which they have invested billions of rupees to deploy CDMA networks, which are reliant on 800MHz frequencies. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has not yet made a decision on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI’s) proposals, which threaten to marginalise CDMA providers in favour of their GSM-based rivals. The TRAI has also suggested that the valuation of 800MHz spectrum should take into consideration its potential use for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services, although AUSPI and its members are calling for the government to lower the prospective reserve price for 800MHz spectrum.