DoT has sought TRAI’s recommendations on separating spectrum from licence awards in the future. DoT has asked TRAI to determine if new licences may be issued in the future without any eligibility for start-up spectrum and rollout conditions. In the event this happens, the department has also sought the regulator’s views on the entry fee and other terms and conditions to be imposed for the licence. At present, there are about 200 pending applications from over 25 companies for telecom licences. The applications have not been processed yet due to scarcity of spectrum. If the licences are separated from spectrum, any company can obtain a licence and then bid for airwaves.
