DataWind expects to get Virtual Network Operator license soon

Mobile device maker DataWind today said it has applied for licence for virtual network operator (VNO) which is likely to be issued by the end of year following which the company will start offering telecom services.
"We have applied for a licence to become a telecom operator. Earlier this year, the government came out with a policy to allow VNOs and we have applied for a national license for that....We have been told that it could be before the end of this year that license will be issued," DataWind founder and CEO Suneet Singh Tuli told reporters here.
"If we get the license over the next few weeks....Expect that within a month thereafter, we will launch it," Tuli said.

VNO will be a big focus for DataWind, he said, and added that the company could invest Rs 70-80 crore for it. With its own SIM cards, the company plans to offer Rs 20 unlimited browsing plan valid for a month.
"Under VNO we don't buy spectrum, don't have towers, but will be partnering with network operators and offer our own SIMs in the market," he said.
"Smartphones is a new segment for us and recently we launched a Rs 1,500 smartphone with touch screen and free unlimited Internet for one year. We have capacity for producing 50 lakh phones. We are focusing on low cost devices in the Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 range and help bring down the cost of phones in the market.