DoT on Friday issued a fresh order to Bharti Airtel to stop intra-circle 3G roaming in seven circles where it did not have the spectrum and also levied a penalty of Rs 350 crore (Rs 50 crore per circle) on the company for violating the licence terms and conditions. Airtel has been asked to stop the services within three days.
DoT is expected to send a similar notice to Vodafone India Ltd next week. Bharti Airtel is likely to approach the Delhi high court for a stay on the notices. Friday’s notice is the second to be sent to Bharti.
Last week, DoT made a case for sending the notices on the grounds that the operators were selling new 3G connections in circles where they did not get spectrum in the 2010 auction. This was not allowed as their telecom licences in those circles were not modified to allow them to offer the high-speed wireless data services. The licences were specifically amended for circles where they won 3G spectrum in 2010.
Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea won 3G airwaves in 13, nine and 11 circles, respectively, in the 2010 auctions, and between them have a national footprint. They subsequently entered into intra-circle roaming pacts with each other and rode on the airwaves of their partners in circles where they did not hold spectrum themselves. This enabled them to offer high-speed data services on a pan-India basis.
[Via LiveMint]
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