With enough spectrum available with the Department of Telecom (DoT), the release of frequencies by the Defence Ministry for auctioning 3G radio waves is not needed at present. DoT has currently an adequate amount to give the initial 5Mhz of spectrum to at least three players in a circle, according to government sources.
Barring Rajasthan on absence of 3G radio waves, the DoT has 3G spectrum available in different amounts in various circles and hence, spectrum availability does not stand as a deterrent to the auction process. To top it up, any release by defence ministry would be treated as an additional gain, which will help in giving spectrum to more players.
DoT Secretary Sidhharth Behura explained about the agreement between Defence and the DoT in the first eGoM meeting. According to the arrangement the armed forces would release 10 Mhz of 3G spectrum. But even after four months of signing the MoU, defence ministry has not yet released any spectrum, he informed the EGoM. The EGoM has been entrusted to decide on the number of slots to be offered under 3G auction.
For initial requirement, 5Mhz of spectrum is good enough to start services. Once after the service picks up, the industry would need more spectrum to enable heavy downloads and other advanced features of 3G and any release of spectrum by defense authorities would be very useful.