After moving the Delhi High Court over spectrum allocation and dual technology issue, GSM operators Idea Cellular and Spice Telecom on Friday, cautioned the government against allocating spectrum to any other GSM operator before them.
?We caution the department of telecommunications (DoT) that no GSM initial spectrum allocation pertaining to application subsequent to ours of June 26, 2006, for nine service areas can be entertained, until our application along with associated initial spectrum, are first disposed,? Idea?s chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji said in a letter to DoT secretary DS Mathur.
Referring to the DoT?s decision to allow dual technology, which made Reliance Communications eligible for start-up spectrum in the GSM segment, BK Modi-led Spice Telecom also warned the DoT to consider first its applications filed in August 2006 for 20 circles.
The unified access service licence guidelines require applications to be decided, as far as practicable, within 30 days of the submission of the application. As per these guidelines, the DoT was required to issue letter of intent (LoI) to Idea and Spice by July 2006 and September 2006, respectively. But the companies haven?t been issued LoIs yet.
?It is now over 500 days from the date of applications. Meanwhile we have sent eight letters of reminder, apart from seven personal meetings,? Idea said. Spice said, ?We wish to point out that your continued delay in issuing the said LoIs/licences for the applied circles to our company despite innumerable meetings and follow-ups and various reminders has caused immense hardship and irreparable loss to our company.?
Both Idea and Spice asked the government to issue LoIs to them immediately. The two companies, along with other GSM operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, have already decided to move Delhi High Court against the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appalate Tribunal?s decision of not putting a stay on the spectrum allocation process.
Spice currently operates in Punjab and Karnataka, while Idea has services in 13 circles.