Rolling out BWA and 3G services

INDIA: The roll out obligations mentioned in the amendments of Unified Access Service (UAS)/Cellular Mobile Telephone Service licence Agreement(s) to use 3G/ BWA spectrum for provision of telecom access services inter-alia provides that:

(i) Roll –out obligation for 3G spectrum: The Licensee shall ensure compliance of the following network roll-out obligations for 3G Spectrum for respective category of the licensed service area(s):

* Applicable for Metro service area licence(s): The licensee to whom the 3G spectrum is assigned shall be required to provide street level coverage using the 3G Spectrum in at least 90 percent of the service area within five years of the effective date.

* Applicable for Category A, B and C service area Licence(s): The licensee to whom the spectrum is assigned shall ensure that at least 50 percent of the District Headquarters in the service area will be covered using the 3G Spectrum, out of which at least 15 percent of the DHQs should be rural Short Distance Charging Areas, within five years of the Effective Date. SDCA is defined as per the definition used by the Census of India. Rural SDCA is defined as an area where 50% of the population lives in the rural areas. Further:

- the operator shall be permitted to cover any other town in a District in lieu of the DHQ;

- coverage of a DHQ/town would mean that at least 90 percent of the area bounded by municipal/ local body limit should get the required street level coverage;

- the DHQ shall be taken as on the Effective Date;

- the choice of DHQ/town to be covered and further expansion beyond 50 percent of the DHQ/town shall lie with the operator.

* The effective date shall be the date when the right to use awarded spectrum commercially commences i.e. date of issue of amendment letter for respective licensed service area.

(ii) Roll–out obligation for BWA spectrum: The licensee shall ensure compliance of the following network roll-out obligations for BWA Spectrum for respective category of the licensed service area(s):

* Applicable for metro service area licence(s): The licensee shall be required to provide street level coverage using the BWA Spectrum in at least 90 percent of the service area within five years of the effective date.

* Applicable for Category A,B and C service area Licence(s): The licensee shall ensure that at least 50 percent of the rural Short Distance Charging Areas SDCA are covered within five years of the effective date using BWA Spectrum. Coverage of a rural SCDA would mean that at least 90 percent of the area bounded by municipal/ local body limit should get the required street level coverage:

The Effective Date shall be the date when the right to use awarded spectrum commercially commences i.e. date of issue of amendment letter for respective licensed service area.

(iii) The earliest date of issue of amendment letters for right to use of 3G/BWA spectrum is 1.09.2010. Accordingly, in view of the above referred 3/G/BWA rollout obligation conditions, the earliest date to meet the required rollout obligations is 31.08.2015.

This information was given by Milind Deora, Minister of State for C&IT in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.