The government today allotted start-up GSM spectrum to new telecom players, including Datacom and Unitech, in four circles of Mumbai, Maharashtra, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh (East). Tata Teleservices, which has got GSM licence under dual technology policy, has also been allotted spectrum in the lucrative Mumbai circle while it is yet to get the radio frequency in other three circles. With this, new players can now roll out services in 10 circles as the government has already released spectrum in six circles of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. In Punjab, only three players have been accommodated as only 15 MHz spectrum was available. HFCL, a CDMA player, has got GSM spectrum in Punjab under the dual technology policy.
Looks like some people can’t get out of the old habits of trying to regulate everything and anything. The license raj is not quite dead, sadly. Parents are best positioned to make these kinds of decisions, not blowhard Babus. The state should not try to micro-manage people’s lives. Leave the decisions to those best positioned to make them; don’t issue regulations that are impossible to enforce.