India's TRAI makes Public Mobile Radio recommendations

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its recommendations for a “Method of allocation of spectrum for Public Mobile Radio Trunking Service (PMRTS), including auction, as a transparent mechanism”.

On 13 July 2017, the Department of Telecommunications requested TRAI provide its recommendations on the ‘Method’ with applicable reserve price, and other associated conditions for auction of spectrum for PMRTS under the terms of the TRAI Act.

TRAI issued a consultation paper on 8 February 2018, which canvassed aspects of methodology of allocation of spectrum, duration of licence, assignment of spectrum (throughout the licence area or city wise), preferred frequency bands, block size, reserve price, spectrum cap and so on.

Feedback on the issues raised in the paper were invited from stakeholders by 22 March 2018 and counter-comments by 5 April. An Open House Discussion (OHD) was convened on 16 May.

After considering the stakeholder feedback and further analysis, the Authority has finalised its recommendations, the main features of which are as follows:

• The existing Licensed Service Area (LSA)-based authorisation criteria for a period of 20 years for PMRTS licence should continue.
• Taking into consideration factors such as PMRTS market conditions, spectrum demand and supply, the assignment of spectrum for PMRTS should be made administratively on the basis of demand.
• In order to promote efficient use of spectrum, the existing cap on the number of PMRTS handsets per channel that can be imported should be removed.
• Carrier size for assignment to PMRTS licensees (both for analog or digital) shall be 6.25 kHz and multiples of 6.25 kHz.
• Carriers (frequency pairs) of 25 kHz already assigned to the service providers should be allowed to be retained by the service providers and additional assignment of carriers for the existing analog system shall continue at a carrier size of 25 kHz (counted as 4 carriers of 6.25 kHz each).
• Assignment in new cities/Service Areas shall be made for digital systems only.
• Initially for each city, 12 carriers (frequency pairs) of 6.25 kHz in metro licensed service area and eight carriers (frequency pairs) in non-metro licensed service area shall be assigned for PMRTS digital, depending on availability.
• The royalty charges for the PMRTS on a yearly payment option shall be 1200 Rupees per year per 6.25 kHz channel for link distances up to 30 km and 2400 Rupees per year per 6.25 kHz channel for link distances up to 60 km.
• The PMRTS providers shall also have an option of a one-time upfront payment of royalty charges.
• The Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) for the spectrum allocated to a PMRTS provider shall be levied at 1% of AGR, and, while determining the AGR for the purpose of levy of licence fee and SUC, the revenue from the sale of handsets (the cost of which is separately identifiable) shall be allowed as a deduction from the GR of PMRTS for the purpose of levy of the licence fee. The Authority is, however, not making any specific recommendation on licence fee of PMRT Service.
• An overall combined spectrum cap of 35% in a LSA on the spectrum identified and available for assignment to PMRT Services shall be applicable to PMRT licensee.
• In order to make the spectrum available for Broadband-Public Protection Disaster Relief (BB-PPDR) networks, existing PMRTS assignments in the band 814–819/859–864 MHz should be re-farmed and further accommodated in the 811–814/856–859 MHz band. The re-farming process should be completed within a period of two years.
• Agencies handling PPDR networks who have been operating in the band 806–824 MHz paired with 851–869 MHz should be confined to and accommodated in the proposed PPDR network, for which the assignment of spectrum is proposed in 814–824/859–869 MHz sub-band.
• Upon re-farming the bands mentioned above, the sub-band 806–811/851–856 MHz should be made available both for PMRTS and CMRTS on a needs and justification basis.
• Allocations of the frequencies in the sub-band 338–340/348–350 MHz shall be predominantly considered for PMRTS. Provisions for allocation in sub-band 351–358/361–368 MHz and 380–389.9/390–399.9 MHz shall remain unchanged.
   

The full details of the recommendations can be found on the TRAI website.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/kstudija

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and bimonthly magazine.