DoT asks telecom operators to stop 3G roaming services

25 Feb 2013 Evaluate

According to a committee of the department of telecommunications (DoT), the telecom operators offering third-generation services (3G) on roaming will have to stop these immediately. The committee, in its report released on February, 23 recommended the service providers to stop 3G roaming or pay a penalty of Rs 50 crore per service area for violating licence norms.

Earlier, on September 28, 2012, DoT had issued a notice to Bharti Airtel, asking it to stop offering 3G roaming. Pursuant to which, the company moved the high court challenging the DoT notice. However, the court asked DoT not to take any coercive action against Airtel until the next hearing. In December 2012, DoT issued similar notice to Vodafone and Idea Cellular, asking them to stop 3G roaming services outside their licensed service areas.

Later, the High Court asked the DoT to take the operators’ views and re-examine the matter, following which the DoT formed a committee to look into the issue. The committee’s recommendations reiterate DoT’s earlier stand on the issue. The DoT committee was set up to examine 3G roaming services being offered by operators by entering into agreements with each other.

According to the latest recommendation of DoT committee, Bharti Airtel will have to pay a penalty of Rs 350 crore. Airtel is currently offering 3G services outside its licensed zones through intra-circle roaming pacts with Vodafone and Idea Cellular. Further, Tata Teleservices and Aircel had also violated the 3G roaming agreement, but stopped the same after DoT began investigation on the matter in 2011.

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