'Spectrum' troubles
The Government faces two stiff challenges in giving effect to the Supreme Court's ruling on the tainted 2008 telecom licences. It has to, first of all, correctly interpret whether the Court's order to auction the 2G spectrum released from cancellation of the licences and allow “all eligible persons” to bid would permit keeping out operators who were awarded licences prior to 2008. The argument that enabling incumbent players to bid goes against the very basic objective of enhanced competition implicit in the Government’s 2008 decision is disingenuous, to say the least.