India May Allow Airwave Sharing, Aid Mergers in Wireless Market
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India plans to make more spectrum available to mobile-phone operators, permit sharing and trading of airwaves and aid mergers as it aims to provide handsets to every villager in the world’s second-largest wireless market.
Airwaves held by some government departments, companies and telecommunication services providers may be freed up, Kapil Sibal, India’s telecommunications minister, said at a news conference in New Delhi today. India will “facilitate consolidation” in the industry while ensuring competition, create a single nationwide permit, separate the sale of spectrum and licenses and audit use of airwaves, he said.