Defence ministry agrees to vacate spectrum

New Delhi, July 3 : The defence ministry has agreed to vacate spectrum for commercial use, Minister of State for Communications and IT Gurudas Kamat said Friday.

According to an accord reached between the defence and the telecommunications ministries, the latter will set up an exclusive optical fibre cable (OFC) network for the armed forces.

'A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the ministry of communications and IT and the ministry of defence for vacation of spectrum and setting up an exclusive, dedicated OFC network for armed forces,' Kamat told the Rajya Sabha.

Optic fibre communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fibre.

'According to the agreement, the defence ministry will release spectrum for 2G (second generation mobile telephony) and 3G (third generation) in steps from the date of signing of the MoU till the completion of network for armed forces,' Kamat said.

The defence ministry will release 45 MHz of spectrum over three years. Of this, about 25 MHz will be used for 3G services and the rest for 2G.

The defence ministry has so far been reluctant to vacate additional spectrum for civilian use, saying it will compromise the security of its network.

This spectrum is essential for high-end use services like video conferencing on mobiles, high-speed internet and fast downloads.