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Indian Supreme Court Cancels 122 Mobile Licences |
| Source: |
telecompaper.com |
| Source Date: |
Thursday, February 02, 2012 |
| Focus: |
Knowledge Management in Government
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| Country: |
India |
| Created: |
Feb 07, 2012 |
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India's Supreme Court has cancelled 122 mobile licences issued in 2008, putting at risk the business of some of the newest entrants on the market such as Telenor joint venture Uninor and Etisalat DB as well as established operators such as Tata Teleservices and Idea Cellular. The licences have been the subject of a corruption investigation for the past year and a half, which has landed the country's former telecoms minister in jail. The faulty award process allegedly cost the state billions in missed revenue. The court said in its ruling that the award of the licences by the previous government was "totally arbitrary and unconstitutional", the Financial Times reports. The court asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to prepare an auction to redistribute the spectrum. The existing licences will remain valid for four months, after which it's unclear whether operators will be forced to halt services.
Telenor said in a statement that it was still studying the ruling. Idea Cellular said the ruling affects 13 of its licences, seven of which are in use. In areas covered by the licences, it has over 6 million subscribers. Loop Telecom said it was willing to hand back its licence and await an auction to determine a fair price for the spectrum. The company made a similar offer to the court last year when its spectrum awards were under investigation.
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Indian Supreme Court Cancels 122 Mobile Licences India's Supreme Court has cancelled 122 mobile licences issued in 2008 putting at risk the business of some of the newest entrants on the market such as Telenor joint venture Uninor and Etisalat DB as well as established operators such as Tata Teleservices and Idea Cellular
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