Mobile phone service operators may have to pay something between $23.3 million and $46.5 million for each Megahertz of spectrum that DoT provides. DoT (Department of Telecom) regulates the radio spectrum for mobile services to wireless operating licence holders for GSM and CDMA services.

The telecom ministry is not satisfied with the measly sum mobile service providers are currently paying for the radio spectrum, A. Raja, Minister for Telecommunications and Information Technology, told The Hindu.

“Telecom operators have to pay for spectrum. This will also be applicable to the spectrum that they hold now,” Raja said. 'The money the operators paid now by way of Adjusted Gross Revenue per annum was too little. Why should they get spectrum free?

The Telecom Ministry will make an announcement on the issue once all the details are finalised. One possible outcome of the action will be increased call costs as mobile operators try to recoup the new charges. X