Suggested action against erring cos in 2G: Trai to SC

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, which has come under the scanner for its alleged inaction in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, today told the Supreme Court it had, time and again, recommended to the government action against erring companies, including cancellation of licences to Idea and Spice for a few circles.

Trai said the two companies had failed to fulfill roll-out obligations and their merger violated rules. “The authority (Trai) wrote to DoT that Idea and Spice are in violation of the terms and conditions pertaining to roll-out obligations and the merger between the two companies is in violation of the guidelines for the intra-service area merger,” it said in its its 19-page affidavit. “Hence, the Idea’s licences in Punjab and Karnataka and that of Spice in Maharashtra, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh service area may be cancelled,” the regulator said. Trai also said it had recommended to the government in November last year to take punitive action against the telecom companies for not fulfilling their roll-out obligations. “The authority wrote to the Department of Telecommunications, stating that 69 out of 130 licences did not fulfill the mandatory roll-out obligations and recommended that immediate necessary action be taken by the DoT against them,” Trai said.

Trai filed its response after the apex court questioned its silence when the telecom companies failed to fulfill the roll-out obligations for 2G spectrum.