DoT ammends licence norms to allow higher spectrum holdings

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended telecom licence norms to allow operators to hold more spectrum in any service area. As per the new norms, telecom operators can hold up to 35 per cent of the total spectrum allocated in a service area, up from the current 25 per cent. However, in the case of spectrum in premium bands such as the 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands, an operator cannot hold more than 50 per cent of the total radiowaves in a service area.