New Delhi: The Department of Telecom and Defence Ministry are in the process of finalising a pact that will pave the way for release of spectrum by armed forces for second and third generation mobile services by April 2008. The Memorandum of Understanding, to be signed soon, will lay down the road-map and schedule of phase-wise spectrum vacation by Ministry of Defence (MoD) as well as action to be taken by both DoT and MoD to create an alternative modern communication network for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

As per the draft MoU, suggested by Group of Ministers on spectrum headed by Pranab Mukherjee, defence forces will vacate 25 Mhz for 2G (normal voice and data services) by April 2008. This will be in phases, 5 Mhz of radio waves immediately in Delhi and Mumbai, 10 Mhz by January and another 10 Mhz by April next, varying from circle to circle.

On the roadmap for third generation or 3G services, the ministry is to release up to 30 Mhz of spectrum by April. Out of this, depending on the circle up to 20 Mhz spectrum January and another 10 Mhz by April is proposed to be released. In 3G, Delhi will get the maximum 3G spectrum of 30 Mhz and Mumbai will get 20 Mhz. But the condition is that defence forces will shift from the tropo-scatter and microwave links, the technologies they use at present, to the optical fibre link as and when the new system is provided. These present wireless communication technologies used by defence ministry are said to be spectrum-inefficient.

"In most of the countries, defence has migrated from these technologies and have vacated spectrum for commercial use. There is an urgent need of MoD s switchover to latest technologies including optic fibre for fixed-to-fixed links. This will enhance communication capabilities of MoD," the draft MoU said.