Bharti Airtel Ltd.

Supreme Court has restricted Bharti Airtel from adding new 3G customers in seven circles where it does not have the license to do so, till its final order. However, the Supreme Court has allowed the operator’s existing customers in seven circles to avail 3G services. The seven circles where Airtel does not have license to provide 3G services are Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh East and Kerala.

Meanwhile, Apex court also said that no coercive steps will be taken on the issue of penalty raised against Airtel for allegedly illegally providing 3G services. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had on March 15, issued a notification restricting Bharti from providing 3G intra-circle roaming facilities in seven circles where it does not hold the license and also levied penalty of Rs 350 crore (Rs 50 crore per circle) for allegedly violating the licence terms and conditions.