NEW DELHI: In view of shortage of spectrum for terrestrial broadcasting and telecom sectors, spectrum has been delinked from licences and market discovered price mechanism by successfully introducing auctions.

Minister of state for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora told Parliament that the National Telecom Policy-2012 (NTP-2012) stipulates, among others, to re-farm and allot alternative bands or media to service providers from time to time to make spectrum available for introduction of new technologies for telecom applications.

He said an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) constituted on 26 November 2009 has made recommendations relating to measures for early introduction of spectrum efficient digital terrestrial broadcasting for vacation of spectrum for other services in line with international practices.

Its terms of reference also includes recommending measures for vacation of adequate additional spectrum by the existing large users such as Defence, Space, Paramilitary, etc., in a time bound manner for the growth of mobile telephony and broadband sectors in the country.

Some of the telecom service providers have reported interference in their mobile networks in some of the service areas. The Defence Ministry has been requested to coordinate alternate frequency in such service areas. Spectrum has been identified in different frequency bands to meet the requirements of Defence which varies service area wise.