New Delhi, Sept. 7 (PTI): The government is considering allowing spectrum sharing between two mobile operators, a move that can benefit both existing and new telecom players.

The minister of state for communication and IT Jyotiraditya Scindia has convened a meeting of senior officials in the department of telecom (DoT) tomorrow to consider the proposal of the sharing of spectrum.

New telecom players may find it difficult to roll out services with only 4.4 megahertz (Mhz) of spectrum and compete with existing players who have been allocated 10-12Mhz of the scarce resource. Spectrum is radio frequency required by cellular operators to offer wireless mobile services.

If allowed, two new players may join hands to combine initial spectrum taking it to 8.8Mhz, which will not only reduce infrastructure costs but also result in better quality services with a lesser number of subscribers and more spectrum.

According to sources, the proposal will also help existing mobile operators who have been seeking additional spectrum with an increase in the number of subscribers but are unable to get it because of scarcity.

On whether the DoT may consider trading in spectrum, sources close to the development said since the initial 4.4Mhz of spectrum was given free of cost with a licence, it might not be possible immediately to go for trading.

New telecom players such as Datacom, Unitech, Shyam-Sistema, Loop Telecom and Swan Telecom have been allotted 4.4Mhz of spectrum in six circles so far and the companies are in the process of roll out their networks.

An official with a new operator said the sharing of spectrum would help it compete with existing service providers to some extent and asked the government to rationalise termination charges, which had not been revised for many years.

Operators charge up to 30 paise for each call terminated on their network, the official said, adding that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India should have reviewed it long ago to arrive at a cost-based termination charge.