What is spectrum war in telecommunication.?
MOBILE telecom operators are locked in an ugly fracas over the allocation of wireless spectrum, the key resource that enables them to provide services. The issue remains tantalisingly poised, waiting for a decision from the custodian of the resource, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The referee, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has already given its views on the contentious issues. Meanwhile, rival lobbies slug it out, predicting dire consequences if the forthcoming policy statement does not suit their interests. As the DoT dithers, picking and choosing from the TRAI’s prescription, it is becoming clear that the issue is not merely about the allocation of the precious resource. Dominant players are evidently lobbying to use the scarcity of spectrum as a barrier to the entry of fresh competition in the booming telecom business. Amidst the drumbeat of fears whipped up by contending lobbies about spectrum shortage, an unprecedented number of applications have b
