Telecom tribunal upholds dual spectrum policy

September 23rd, 2009 KOLKATA - A dual listing structure for the proposed Bharti-MTN deal is linked to full capital account convertibility and the legal implication of the matter needs to be looked at properly, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Wednesday. "The dual listing of the firms (Bharti Airtel and MTN of South Africa) is linked to full account convertibility and that has to be looked into," Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of the 108th annual general meeting of the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce (MCC) here.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Telecom majors Reliance Communications (RCom) and Aircel are on the verge of signing a $300-million agreement for sharing telecom infrastructure like towers, sources close to the deal said Monday. "The deal will offer RCom a revenue upside of over Rs.1,500 crore.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The dispute between the Department of Space (DoS) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) over vacation of broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum can delay WiMax rollout, a senior official said here Monday. WiMax or wireless Internet is essential for increasing broadband penetration in the country - especially in rural areas.

July 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defending the policy of giving licenses without auctioning spectrum, Communications and IT Minister A. Raja Monday said his decision to issue telecom licenses at nominal rates has led to higher tele-density and fetched huge revenue for the government.

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Economic Survey 2008-09 tabled in parliament Thursday has sought to end the controversy surrounding allocation of radio frequency by advocating an open and transparent auction process. "Spectrum should be auctioned and be freely tradeable among companies having a telecom licence, the survey said.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Tata DoCoMo, the joint venture between telecom majors Tata Teleservices and NTT DoCoMo of Japan, commercially launched GSM telephony operations in Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles Wednesday. Tata DoCoMo's pan-India service rollout will be completed this year, with entire south Indian circles going "live" in a fortnight, it said in a statement.

June 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Friday approved the proposed amendment to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992, to raise the upper age limit of Securities Appellate Tribunal members from 62 to 65. According to the Section 15 of the SEBI Act, the current upper age limit of a tribunal member is 62 years.

May 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - J.S. Sarma, a member of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, Thursday took over as the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), succeeding Nripendra Mishra.

April 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With phone operators expected to run out of 10-digit mobile numbers soon, the Department of Telecom (DoT) is now considering an 11-digit numbering system. 'With so many telecom service providers and a growing customer base, the need for new numbers and their consequent shortage will be felt soon,' a senior telecom official, who did not want to be identified, told IANS Saturday.

February 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Wednesday said it has accepted the telecom regulator's proposal to allow companies to offer mobile phone services without owning network infrastructure or spectrum. The government decision would pave the way for foreign and Indian companies to set up mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) in India which can roll out wireless telecom services by renting spectrum and networks from existing telecom companies.

February 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Thursday asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for its response to a petition challenging the government's policy on spectrum allocation, including the first-come-first-served policy. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Sanjeev Khanna expressed objections over the recent allocation of spectrum to non-telecom companies.

January 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The new policy for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) will be announced next month, Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura said here Monday. Under the policy, a telecom operator can buy airtime for mobile phones in bulk and retail it to subscribers.

January 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Swan Telecom, a part of the diversified Mumbai-based Dynamix Balwas Group, says it will end all controversies surrounding it by rolling out second generation (2G) GSM mobile phone services anytime between April and June. 'We received spectrum for 13 circles from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and we will roll out our services between April and June,' Dynamix Balwas marketing vice president Ruth Varsulkar told IANS.

January 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Unitech Wireless, the telecom arm of real estate major Unitech Ltd., Monday said it has received 4.4 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum in the 1,800 MHz GSM band in the West Bengal telecom circle. With this, the company has been allotted initial spectrum in 21 service areas of India out of 22, a company statement said.

December 28th, 2008 NEW DELHI - Telecom operator Unitech Wireless, a subsidiary of real estate major Unitech, Monday said it has received 4.4 MHz of spectrum in the 1,800 MHz GSM bandwidth in four service areas. The company received spectrum in Assam for all districts except Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Kamrup, a company statement said.