Telcos warn Sibal over TRAI’s new 2G pricing implementation

30 Apr 2012 Evaluate

Outraged over new pricing, Vodafone India has warned Kapil Sibal - telecoms minister over implementing Telecom Regulatory Authority’s (TRAI) recommendation on refarming. 'The potential change in use of spectrum cannot be the trigger for refarming because technology neutrality is already built to policy and licensing framework,' the company said in its communication to the Sibal.

Along with Vodafone (India) the top honchos of other telecom companies viz., Bharti Airtel, Idea Ceullar, Uninor and Videocon have written to Sibal that accepting the regulator's 'flawed, retrograde, regressive and uncertain recommendations would irretrievably harm consumer interests, ring the death knell for the sector and lead to prolonged disputes and litigation.' Once new 2G pricing is impleted, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone (India) and Idea together will have to shell out around Rs 95,000 crore for the spectrum which they already own. The loom over new peak pricing will force Norwegian firm Telenor to exit India.

The Supreme Court has extended deadline of cancelling their licenses and they are valid till September 07, 2012. The SC has also extended the deadline to conduct auction of the said 2G Spectrum to August 31, 2012. However, TRAI has increased the prices of 2G by over ten times then the prices at which the band was issued in 2008. The companies will have to shell out Rs 3,600 crore for pan-India spectrum renewal for a 5Mhz block, which is about 8 percent higher than even the pan-India 3G spectrum block. However, final call on the prices will be taken by EGoM headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

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