India, Jan. 19 -- It sounds like an April Fool's prank when you first hear the words Spectrum-as-a-Service. However, it is not just another phrase in telecom jargon-it goes several steps beyond. At first glance, it even feels like an oxymoron, something telcos would never entertain. After all, there is nothing more elusive, regulated, scarce, and competitively sensitive than spectrum for telcos. Over the decades, auctions, litigations, and policy debates have revolved around this single word. So, how could anyone think of slicing it?

Yet the question has never been more urgent. Telcos are struggling with both internal inefficiencies and external shocks-falling ARPUs, vanishing voice revenues, hyperscaler competition, and customer fatigue...