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Defence gets 10% of commercial airwaves
NEW DELHI, Dec 09, 2009 (The Economic Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The defence forces will get exclusive rights to 10 percent of the airwaves, or spectrum, that can be used for commercial telephony services and broadcast services. 'Spectrum' refers to the radio frequencies on which all mobile signals travel and is the lifeline for all telecom companies.
But not all airwaves can be used for mobile telephony. The armed forces will get 70 percent of all airwaves within 50 km of the international boundary in the non-communication bands. In the rest of the country, they will get 30 percent of all frequencies in non-communication bands.
This is part of a full and final settlement between the defence and communications ministries to end a four-year standoff on vacation of spectrum by the armed forces. The exclusive spectrum assigned to the armed forces will all be classified into the 'defence spectrum band'. A defence interest zone of 50 km along the international borders will also be created to address security concerns of the armed forces.
In addition, the settlement involves the $$(DoT) providing a Rs 10,000-crore alternate network fibre cable for the armed forces by December 2012. The armed forces will move a bulk of their communication requirements to this network, thus freeing up airwaves for commercial telephony.
The defence and communication ministries had entered into an MoU earlier this year, under which DoT would set up an alternate network for the armed forces and also provide an 'exclusive defence spectrum band'.
The MoU had also stipulated that the forces would release up to 45 MHz of radio frequencies over a three-year period, of which 25 MHz would be for 3G services and the rest for 2G, the airwaves on which all communications services in the country are currently offered. The MoU added that the defence forces would release two blocks (10 MHz) of 3G airwaves and one block of 2G frequencies immediately while the remaining would be released over three years.
As reported earlier by ET, with an exclusive spectrum band, the armed forces will develop or buy technologies that work only these frequencies. Commercial users of spectrum such as telcos and broadcasters would be able to use only the civilian band. Europe and the US have divided all their spectrum into civilian and military bands.
According to documents available with ET, the armed forces will also be given 10 MHz of 2G spectrum (equivalent to what state-owned BSNL holds) across the country as part of the defence spectrum band.
In the other communication bands, that are currently not used for mobile telephony and broadcast services, the defence will be given 20 percent of all airwaves in this space. But, within 50 kms from the international border, their share of airwaves in the other communication bands will be increased to 35 percent.
DoT executives say that defence spectrum band and defence interest zone will be part of the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP), 2010.
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