New Delhi: The spectrum battle saw Bharti Airtel being pushed against a regulatory wall but the market leader has fought back and fought back hard.
India's largest private mobile company has added over 2.25 million subscribers consistently over the last four months while no other operator has come even close to the two million mark.
This makes Bharti eligible for GSM spectrum in eight circles as per the TRAI criteria which had raised the threshold for spectrum allotment by two to four times.
DoT sources say of the eight circles, Bharti is likely to get spectrum in the three southern circles as early as next week.
Bharti won’t be the only one getting spectrum, this round will also see Unitech, Videocon-owned Datacom, Essar-backed Loop Telecom getting a taste of spectrum in three circles.
The government wants to avoid controversy and so sources say the minister is pushing for simultaneous allotment of spectrum to all eligible players new and old.
Sources also say allotment in Round 2 is also likely to be over by the end of April.
Spectrum in nine to 10 circles is available for allotment to all players but the DoT wants to go about awarding it in a phased manner.
However, operators will have to wait a while before spectrum in crucial circles like Delhi is allotted.
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