The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) today cleared the 3G intra-circle roaming agreements signed between Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular by saying that the 3G intra-circle-roaming (ICR) does not violate the Unified Access Service Licence (UASL) license, reports ET. It has also quashed all penalties imposed by the Department of Telecom (DoT) on these operators last year.
Back in March 2013 DoT asked Bharti Airtel to stop 3G services in 7 circles and asked them to pay Rs. 350 crore (Rs. 50 crore per circle) for illegal roaming pact with Vodafone and Idea . The DoT had also asked Vodafone India and Idea Cellular to stop 3G services outside their licensed zones, and asked them to pay Rs. 550 and Rs. 300 crores, for violating licence norms.
Delhi High Court temporarily stalled the execution of DoT’s order until the final hearing, after Airtel appealed against it. Later it ordered Bharti Airtel not to extend its 3G Intra-circle roaming services to new customers in the 7 circles, where it did not have licences for 3G spectrum, but can continue offering services to old customers.
These companies have be fighting against the penalties imposed by DoT for the past few months and appealed to TDSAT to resolve the issue.