The Department of Telecommunications? (DoT) licensing wing has said that dual technology players may have to fulfill rollout norms for the two technologies independently, say news reports.
According to an internal DoT note, ?It is difficult to deny the existence of separate rollout obligations for the second technology on the licence. This is further supported by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), through letters subsequent to the acceptance of its recommendations where it has highlighted the need for rollout obligation for additional spectrum to the dual technology licensees.?
Under the current rules, dual technology players show rollout as one comprehensive network of both CDMA and GSM technologies.
In 2008, TRAI had sent a letter to DoT stating that since spectrum was being given separately for both technologies, the rollout should also be applicable independently. However, at that time, dual technology players had argued against the proposal on grounds that since both technologies were permitted under a single licence, the rollout obligation should also be applicable on their combined network.
The Telecom Commission had accepted this position and did not impose separate rollout conditions.
