The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to help ascertain the loss to the government caused by allocating spectrum to operators between 2001 and 2008, according to news reports.
It is believed that the agency has requested TRAI to establish an expert team which will examine the entire gamut of spectrum pricing and give the CBI an estimated loss which could be proved in the court of law.
Prior to this, TRAI had recommended a pan-India licence fee of Rs 109.72 billion for 6.2 Mhz of start-up spectrum with effect from April 1, 2010, as against the Rs 16.58 billion that was being paid by operators till now.
TRAI had also recommended that each Mhz of additional spectrum held by operators should cost a one-time fee of Rs 45.71 billion (all-India), though it would vary from circle-to-circle and the operators would only have to pay for those zones where they hold extra spectrum.
An expert panel constituted by TRAI has valued the price of 2G spectrum beyond the 6.2 Mhz start-up spectrum given to operators as being 136 per cent higher than the auction bid for 3G spectrum on a pan-India basis. On the other hand, the value of 2G spectrum within the limit of 6.2 Mhz was 53 per cent of the 3G price.
However, the CBI was unable to discern the price of 2G spectrum allocated to telecom players between 2001 and 2008, when most of the old players like Bharti airtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular were allocated spectrum.
