DoT recommends penalty on 3G roaming, asks to stop services - Business Standard

A Committee of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has recommended that operators offering third-generation (3G) roaming services should stop it immediately and should pay a maximum financial penalty of Rs 50 crore per service area. The decision of the committee was communicated last week. Following a show-cause notice by the DoT, the country's largest telecom operator by subscriber base Bharti Airtel had, in October last year, moved to the High Court challenging the DoT notice asking the operators to stop 3G roaming immediately. Bharti was asked to stop services in Haryana, Maharashtra, UP (East), Kolkata, Gujarat, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh for violating the licence norms. This means, Bharti AIrtel will have to pay a penalty of Rs 350 crore for the violation, as per the recommendation of the DoT committee. The recommendation of the DoT Committee came after the High Court had asked the DoT to re-examine the matter considering the reply of the service provider on the show cause notice. Bharti Airtel currently offers 3G services outside its licensed zones through intra-circle roaming pacts with Vodafone and Idea Cellular. In its plea, Bharti Airtel has sought quashing of the government's September 28 decision directing the service providers to stop providing intra-circle roaming (ICR) services. It had alleged the decision was contrary to the interim orders passed by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Earlier in December, the DoT had also asked Vodafone and Idea Cellular to stop 3G roaming services outside their licensed service areas. According to that notice, Vodafone and Idea were asked to pay penalties of Rs 450 crore and Rs 550 crore, respectively, for the alleged violation. Bharti, Vodafone and Idea had won 3G airwaves in 13, nine and 11 circles, respectively. Tata Teleservices and Aircel had also forged the 3G roaming agreement, but had stopped the same after DoT began investigation on the matter in 2011. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGf7r9bBThi888Fmk9ZKq3ReNjYiQ&url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/dot-recommends-penalty-on-3g-roaming-asks-to-stop-services-113022400207_1.html

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