The cellular operators on Thursday asked the government to release higher spectrum for better mobile telephony, while the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said it was studying the sector's demands since the efficient use of current spectrum must also be looked into.

"To keep pace with the growth in subscriber base and to continue to provide quality service, the country needs to see a much higher allocation of spectrum. About 20 Mhz of spectrum allocation per operator should come easy," Sunil Mittal, head of Bharti Televentures, said in New Delhi.

Emphasising the need for more release of spectrum available with the government, Mittal told a GSM seminar on spectrum that Trai must ensure that "nobody holds the spectrum from use and there was enough spectrum for every player to remain competitive."

Trai chairman Pradip Baijal said it would soon come out with a consultation paper on how efficiently the present allocation of spectrum was being used and also the price structure for further release of spectrum.

On the issue of 3G route for better spectrum efficiency, Baijal said Trai was looking into the matter to eliminate the flaws and make the "raw material' cost for mobile telephony come at a minimum price.

Asserting that GSM would be the dominant mobile technology, Mittal said in view of the burgeoning subscriber base in the country a small spectrum would bring delight only to the vendors.

Asking for revision in the policy guidelines for allocation of spectrum, Mittal favoured higher bandwidth in certain key cities, while retaining earlier amount as constant for the rest.