The Department of Telecom (DoT) has decided to allocate 4G broadband spectrum to U.S.-based chipmaker Qualcomm, almost two years after the company won the radio waves through an auction.
According to reports, the DoT has cut the validity of the spectrum, allocated to Qualcomm, by 18 months and now the company will have the right to use this spectrum for 18.5 years only. Normally, radio airwaves are granted for a period of twenty years. The period has been reduced due to delays on the part of Qualcomm, says a DoT official.
It may be recalled that the DoT had turned down Qualcomm’s application for an Internet Service Provider ( ISP) licence due to late submission. Qualcomm later moved telecom tribunal TDSAT, which directed the DoT to grant licence and allocate spectrum to the company.
Qualcomm, meanwhile, has said it was not responsible for the delay in obtaining the Internet license, rather ministry’s objection to its application led to the delay. “We are studying the DoT’s decision and will consider any and all options,” Qualcomm said in a statement.
The U.S. chipmaker had won spectrum for high-speed data services in four circles — Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala — through auction in June 2010, and paid $ 1 billion for the same.
Source: Business Standard
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