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Competitors want Tata licences cancelled too

The industry body Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) that represents GSM operators Bharti Airtel, Idea and Vodafone, has moved the telecom tribunal TDSAT, seeking the cancellation of licence and GSM spectrum of Tata group companies TTSL and TTML.

In a petition, the COAI has requested the tribunal to direct the Department of Telecom (DoT) to modify or amend the order issued on 15 February cancelling 122 licences after the Supreme Court verdict in this regard. According to the petition, a total 141 licences need to be cancelled, including that of Tata Tele Services Ltd (TTSL) and Tata Tele Service Maharashtra (TTML), as the apex court had ordered cancellation of all licences issued in 2008 by the then telecom minister A Raja.

TTSL and TTML, which offer services in both GSM and CDMA platforms, were issued GSM spectrum in 2008. Before that they were offering services in CDMA technology only.

'Hold and declare that 141 blocks of spectrum allocations (which includes spectrum allocated to Respondent number 2 and 3) freed up pursuant to cancelling and quashing of spectrum allocation (under the judgement dated 02.02.2012 passed by the Supreme Court) have to be put in the pool for public auction of spectrum,' said COAI and the operators in their petition.

TTSL and TTML are respondents numbered two and three respectively.

The petition requests the TDSAT to 'direct the DoT to amend modify/rectify its Record and its Press Release dated February 15, 2012, to the extent that it refers to 122 licences as being cancelled, to bring it in conformity with the directions given by the Supreme Court in the judgement dated February 2, 2012'.

Earlier, COAI director general Rajan S Mathews had written to the telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar, saying that the DoT has failed to comply with the 2 February order of the Supreme Court.
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