The Department of Telecom has circulated a detailed position paper on telecom issues to be considered by the recently-constituted Group of Ministers, which is slated to hold its first meeting on September 25.

According to DoT sources, the position paper gives a detailed background on each of the subject matters, including FDI and WLL in order to familiarise the members before they start deliberations on each of these issues.

DoT, in its position paper, has also suggested options on possible course of action on each one of these issues.

The GoM was constituted last week by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to resolve some of the contentious issues in the telecom sector especially the one relating to the dispute between basic and cellular operators on WLL mobile telephony services.

The group would recommend how to ensure release of adequate spectrum needed for the growth of telecom sector; recommending measures for ensuring adequate resources for realisation of NTP targets of rural telephony; to resolve issues relating to enactment of Convergence Bill.

The GoM would also look at charting out a course to Universal licence; review adequacy of steps for enforcing limited mobility within SDCA for WLL mobility services of basic operators and recommend future course of action.

Sources, however, declined to divulge the options listed by DoT in its position paper.

The group, headed by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, also includes Defence Minister George Fernandes, Law Minister Arun Jaitley, Communications, IT and Divestment Minister Arun Shourie, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Information & Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The GoM would also consider FDI limits in telecom sector, identify issues relating to mergers and acquisitions (within a circle) in telecom sector and recommend the way forward, besides considering issues relating to imposition of trade tax on telecom services by state governments.

The constitution of GoM comes at a time when the dispute over WLL has been further aggravated with TRAI's latest proposal to unify the licenses in order to resolve the issue once for all, a move opposed by the cellular operators.