The Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI), the representative body of all the independent internet service providers (ISPs) of the country, is planning to ask the Department of Telecommunications to review its policy on Wimax. According to the policy, the base price for the Wimax spectrum auction should be 25 per cent of that for the 3G radio frequencies, writes Debopriya Nandy.

The standalone ISPs, in the first place, disagree with the DoT over the link between 3G pricing and the base price of the Wimax auction. Rajesh Charia, president of ISPAI, said that with Wimax being an internet device or a broadband service, it includes computer usage, whereas 3G is for mobile usage. As such, he said, if the auctions were carried out linking the Wimax to 3G, it would not be possible for the ISPs to bid.

ISPs like Sify and Spectranet are to take the matter to court over the communications ministry's decision to take back the 2.5GHz Wimax which was allotted to them. Charia, on behalf of the ISPs, demanded that a minimum slot should be reserved for themselves, whereby only the ISPs should be permitted to bid against each other, with an alternate formula to charge its members only 25 per cent of the highest bid made by any telecom company for Wimax spectrum in that particular circle during the auction. X