India mulls government body to look into 3G allocation

India is planning to set up a top-level government body to decide on spectrum availability, allocation and pricing, an Asia Pulse report, quoting a source at the Department of Telecom said.

 

The source said the government will be setting up a "Group of Ministers" that would comprise of the usual member ministries like the Department of Defense, Finance, Law, and Telecom, among others.

 

The report said the group will tackle issues like the allocation and utilization of spectrum for niche services like 3G services and pricing.

 

Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved the constitution of a similar group to resolve disputes between the GSM and CDMA operators over the allocation of spectrum.

 

The Group of Ministers will also find ways to vacate spectrum that is being used by the armed forces, the report said.