The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has cleared the bids submitted by the eight telecom firms for pan-India spectrum.

Along with this, DoT has restricted Vodafone, Tata Teleservices, and Reliance Communications from bidding for pan-India spectrum. As per the restrictions, Vodafone cannot bid for seven circles; RCom has been kept out of eight circles; and Tata Teleservices cannot bid for spectrum in Delhi.   

Other players, including Airtel, Reliance Jio, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Telewings, have been permitted to bid for spectrum in any circle across the country.

DoT has raised cross-holding norms that bar a single entity from two different owning operations in the same circle.

Accordingly, RCom has been restricted to bid for spectrum in the eight circles where it operates GSM services through its subsidiary Reliance Telecom. These circles are Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, North East, Orissa, and West Bengal. Similarly, Vodafone cannot bid in Assam, North East, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

Further, Tata Teleservices has been barred from Delhi due to net worth issue.