The Minister of Defence (MoD) has objected to several clauses in the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP), which chalks out the roadmap for future spectrum usage, say news reports.
The MoD has alleged that the NFAP includes airwaves that were to be exclusively reserved for the armed forces. Further, in a communication dated March 17, 2011, to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), it has said that the DoT has not kept its part of the bargain between the two ministries.
Prior to this, the defence minister A.K. Antony had told finance minister Pranab Mukherjee that DoT had failed to meet all timelines on building an alternate communication network for the armed forces, and warned that it could result in the services stopping the process of vacating airwaves.
As per the MoU between both ministries, the armed forces were to vacate 25 MHz of airwaves for 3G and 20 units of airwaves of 2G. This will happen in a phased manner and will be linked to the completion of the alternate network that DoT is building for the defence forces.
Besides, DoT was also slated to set up an exclusive defence band and defence interest zone for the armed forces to keep its part of the bargain.
While the armed forces have already freed up 15 MHz 3G spectrum, which was sold during the spectrum auction of 2010, and also vacated 15 MHz 2G spectrum, which has been allocated to new operators, the remaining airwaves, 10 MHz spectrum in 3G (for two operators) and 5MHz in 2G, will be released only after the alternative optic fibre network being built by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is completed.
In its latest communication, the defence forces have said they had continuously reiterated that spectrum mutually identified by both ministries as defence band must be kept out of the NFAP. It also cities 20 references where airwaves that were part of the defence band have been included in the NFAP, and has demanded these be removed.
