INDIA BUSINESS WORLD - MAY 2006
THE MONTH THAT WAS...

SHYAM BAGS GSM LICENCE IN UK

 SHYAM Telecom has got a licence for providing GSM-based cellular mobile services in Britain. The company will focus mainly on providing seamless mobile coverage in office buildings. Shyam is a telecom equipment manufacturer. Shyam telelink, its sister concern, provides fixedline and CDMA services in Rajasthan.

Generally, the GSM networks are so designed that their quality deteriorates in basements and buildings. Shyam Telecom plans to cater to this segment of customers, who require good coverage in buildings. For this, the company will tie up with local GSM service providers, said Rajiv Mehrotra, chairman of Shyam Telecom.

The licence is initially for a 10-year period and extendable at the discretion of OFCOM, which is the licensing authority in the UK. The other leading companies, which have won the licence are British Telecom, Cable & Wireless UK, O2 Ltd, PLDT Ltd, Opal Telecom, Colt Mobile Telecommunications and Spring Mobil AB among others. The licences are for 6.6 MHz of spectrum , which will be operated on a low power basis. Multiple l i c e n c e s w e r e awarded to maximise the alternative uses of the spectrum. With regard to outdoor coverage, OFCOM has restricted the maximum height of outdoor antenna up to 10 metres.

“The services offered by Shyam would be true fixed mobile convergent solution, since Shyam will offer GSM mobile services at tariffs similar to fixedline tariffs inside the building and campuses,” said Mr Mehrotra.