Cell firms seek equal status in BSNL pacts

New Delhi, Aug. 3: GSM players have demanded that they may be given the right to enter into arrangements with state-run BSNL on spectrum sharing and roaming.

A letter by the GSM lobby group, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), to telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has stated that all "operators should be given equal opportunity to participate and enter into such arrangements with BSNL".

Though the COAI has not mentioned any deal, the letter comes amidst reports of Reliance Jio being in talks with the telecom department to leverage BSNL's spectrum for 2G voice services.

Reliance Jio has pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum for high-speed data services and is likely to make a debut in 4G in December this year.

"We are made to understand that a commercial offer for ICR (intra-circle roaming) is being made to a particular operator and an agreement may be imminent," Rajan S. Mathews, director-general of the COAI, said in the letter.

"The exercise should be conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner so that BSNL could benefit from a competitive commercial offering allowing public resources equally to all service providers," said Mathews.

The COAI represents top players such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular as well as Reliance Jio.

Analysts said with Jio already in a tower-sharing pact with BSNL, a spectrum sharing deal will benefit both the parties.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)