Telecom regulator TRAI on said it will come out with a pre-consultation paper on exit policy for operators very soon, a move that will allow new players to surrender their spectrum.

"The government has asked us to give our recommendations on the exit policy and as per requirement we will do our job. I can''t give any time-frame on it but pre-consultation paper on the exit policy will be soon," TRAI Chairman J S Sarma said on the sidelines of a CII event.

Earlier, Department of Telecom (DoT) had asked TRAI to formulate details of an exit policy for service providers wishing to quit. 

The Telecom Commission, the highest policy making body of DoT, had already approved the proposal for an exit policy, DoT said in an internal note dated August 18.

Under current licencing norms, there is no exit route for operators who have taken a telecom licence. 

Under the terms, a pan India operator has to pay Rs. 1,650 crore for such a licence, but has no option to surrender it with the start-up spectrum of 4.4 Mhz and get the entry fee back from the government.

Many of the incumbent operators had also supported the move, as they argued this would help in freeing scarce spectrum, required by the others for their expansion and which was not available.

Some of the new players, including Videocon, Etisalat DB and Loop Mobile, have either not launched services or launched in selected circles. Many have also approached the government for an exit route.