4G: Regulator seeks industry views

In a development that may pour cold water on 3G mobile telephony, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Wednesday sought views from the industry and other stakeholders on the next generation technology that offers broadband services much faster speed than the existing technologies or 3G.

Trai's pre-consultation paper comes at a time when the government is yet to fix a deadline for auctioning spectrum for the third generation mobile services.

The fourth-generation, or 4G, technology, known as the ultra-broadband, offers download at faster speed and high definition video on demand, among other services.

In a statement Trai said: "In order to facilitate introduction of 4G mobile broadband services, the authority has decided to deliberate various connected issues such as allocation and pricing of spectrum for such services and issues related to licensing".

The objective at this stage is to prepare a consultation paper for wider deliberation, so as to result in recommendations enabling the government to take appropriate decision or for appropriate regulations by the authority, it added.

Trai has sought views at the pre-consultation stage, from all the stakeholders by March 15, 2010 on any aspect of 4G which they feel would be relevant to policy making or regulations.

Industry experts feels the move could ruffle few feather as it may dampen the interest in the 3G spectrum auction.

Trai chairman J S Sarma had earlier clarified that this did not mean the 3G process be skipped, as the government had taken definitive steps and might auction the spectrum soon.

The fourth-generation mobile networks have already been commercially launched in Sweden and Norway.

Operators in other countries like the US, Korea and Japan are gearing up to launch 4G Mobile wireless broadband services.

"It is necessary that our country should be prepared to introduce 4G services at the earliest," Trai added.