New Delhi, April 17: Indian Space Research Organisation has said that “no competitive bidding” was adopted for leasing S-band spectrum to Devas Multimedia at a throw away price during a controversial satellite deal by the organisation’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation.
The space agency denied to disclose details of the deal signed between Antrix Corporation Limited and Devas Multimedia in January 2005 citing “commercial confidence”.
“The multimedia services through satellite using S-band was an evolving technology, being introduced for the first time in the country. Consistent with the practise in vogue, no competitive bidding was adopted for leasing of transponders,” ISRO said in reply to an RTI query filed by PTI.
According to officials, in satellite communications technology, giving transponder on lease is related to allocation of spectrum as they are designed to work at a particular frequency band.
-Agencies