Inform users about service termination within 10 days: Trai to telcos

Regulator asks operators to provide compliance report to it within 15 days on this direction

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) today asked Tata Teleservices, Videocon Telecommunications, Uninor and Sistema Shyam Teleservices, who have failed to secure spectrum in the November auction to replace their quashed licences, to inform all their subscribers about the discontinuation of services within the next 10 days.

In February, the Supreme Court cancelled 122 licences issued in 2008 by the then telecom minister A Raja. All these licences will expire on January 18, 2013.

Besides informing all their existing subscribers via SMS about the discontinuation in all the circles where they did not acquire spectrum to replace quashed licences, Trai has asked the operators to inform all new subscribers to clearly inform them at the time of selling new connections.

According to a Trai statement, companies would need to submit a compliance report to the regulator indicating the date of discontinuation of services within the next 15 days.

While Sistema Shyam would lose its pan-India permits except Rajasthan, Telenor that operates Uninor, and Videocon have secured spectrum in six circles in the November auction. Tata Teleservices and Sistema Shyam Teleservices did not participate in the the auction.

Among these operators, only Tata Teleservices informed Trai that its services in Assam, North East and Jammu and Kashmir shall stand terminated from mid-night of January 18, 2013. The Supreme Court had cancelled CDMA permits of Tata Teleservices in these service areas.