The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has asked the government to speed up the process of allocation of spectrum in 1800 MHz band that the operators had won in the February 2014 auctions. The association is of the view that the delay in the allocation will lead to pre-empt disruptions in mobile coverage in the circles of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as the licences in these areas will expire in November 2014.

Further in order to reconfigure the operators’ networks, COAI has asked the government to extend the expiry of licenses in the circles where the allocation has been delayed. It believes that in the absence of the allocation letter for spectrum, the operators will be unable to continue with their networks seamlessly.

Bharti Airtel has spectrum in the 900 MHz band in Delhi and Kolkata circles which are nearing expiry in November 2014. Also, Vodafone India’s licence in the 900 MHz band will expire in the circles of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata simultaneously. However, they are yet to receive the spectrum in 1800 MHz bandwidth that they won in the February auctions despite of the payments and bank guarantees submitted to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) by both the telecom operators.