Telecom Lead Asia: Airtel has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for spectrum in an alternative frequency band for 3G in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as the mobile services provider could not commercially launch 3G services in J&K with the present frequency band.
Airtel said spectrum in the frequency range 1,940-1,959 MHz, which is relatively clean, would be a suitable alternative to the currently allocated spectrum in the 1,974-1,979 MHz band which suffers from high interference, Business Standard reported.
According to Airtel’s recent communication to DoT secretary R Chandrashekhar, though the company was allocated 3G frequencies (1,974-1,979 MHz / 2,164-2,169 MHz) in J&K, commercial launch of the 3G service was not possible due to acute signal interference emanating from outside India.
The company has also submitted the details of interference and drive test analysis reports to the DoT.
Meanwhile, Airtel has sought DoT permission to launch BlackBerry services in J&K from January.
The country’s largest telecom service provider alleged that the state-run BSNL, which does not have official permission for BlackBerry service, has been offering the same for some time now. Bharti Airtel has already put in place interception system for complete BlackBerry services by December 31, 2012 as directed by the DoT.
Airtel has requested the DoT to lift ban on SMS service in J&K for prepaid users, which constitute about 97 percent of total subscriber base, as security conditions have improved in the troubled telecom zone in the past few years. The Home Department of Jammu & Kashmir had banned SMS service for pre-paid users in December 2010.
The company has also asked the DoT to allow national roaming for pre-paid users in the region.
Airtel has also sought permission from DoT for launching progressive download (PDL) services for the direct-to-home (DTH) customers so that users can avail internet-based services like video on demand. Airtel has pointed out that one of the DTH service providers has launched the PDL service without any license.
