Tulip steers clear of Qualcomm offer to pay DoT dues

Steering clear of its partner Qualcomm's offer to pay the Rs 410 crore demand raised by DoT, Tulip Telecom today said the US firm had made the offer suo-motto and it was not a part of the petition.

Qualcomm had, in telecom tribunal TDSAT, offered to clear Rs 410 crore dues of its Indian partner Tulip Telecom so that the US-based chipmaker gets the licence to provide Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) services, an offer accepted by DoT.

However, in a filing to the BSE, Tulip said it is not party to the petition filed by Qualcomm and "has not therefore accepted any liabilities".

"Tulip has represented to the DoT and is providing all relevant information to enable it to take a decision. Tulip, at its end, following due process of law and regulation, intends to pursue the matter with DoT to present its position that the provisional demands raised by DoT are erroneous," Tulip added.

The company holds 13% stake in the consortium that had bid for BWA spectrum along with Qualcomm. As per the rules, operators have to get a no-dues certificate from DoT for obtaining the licences.

In December, DoT had issued a show-cause notice to Tulip claiming dues of Rs 146 crore for 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Tulip said that some of the notices/demands raised by DoT pertain to issues/demands that have been already concluded and the company is in process of disputing these before DoT.

"The company has always presented its case along with the relevant details that substantiate its position, in line with the regulatory and process requirements," it said.

The enterprise connectivity solutions provider further said: "Any transaction between Qualcomm and DoT is not at behest of Tulip and is independent of our representation to DoT on incorrect computation of licence fee."