Tribunal gives telcos respite over 3G roaming ban
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A telecoms tribunal on Saturday asked the government not to take any 'coercive' action over an order to ban 3G roaming pacts among firms until the next hearing of the case, giving temporary respite to companies that appealed against the order.
The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has set January 3 as the next date for hearing the case.
The telecoms ministry told carriers on Friday that they were not allowed to offer 3G services beyond the zones where they have their own radio airwaves, such as via roaming pacts with one another, asking them to comply with the order within 24 hours.
That was seen as a blow to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone's India unit and Idea Cellular - three of the country's top four carriers - which currently provide 3G services beyond their licensed zones through roaming pacts.
The three firms and smaller rivals Tata Teleservices and Aircel challenged the order, saying the agreements were compliant with telecoms licensing rules and the telecoms ministry's clarifications to firms before the 3G airwaves auction last year.
India raised about $13 billion from last year's 3G airwaves auction, attracting much higher bids than expected, and no single company managed to get airwave space in all of the country's 22 zones.
Operators launched 3G services earlier this year and are currently expanding networks, but the pick-up for premium services, which facilitate faster Internet browsing on mobile phones and services such as video calls, has been slower than expected.
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