Qualcomm pays Rs 410 cr to DoT, to get BWA licence in a week

The US-based chipmaker Qualcomm has paid an amount of Rs 410 to the department of telecommunications (DoT) as dues of its Indian partner Tulip Telecom, which would enable it to get the licence for offering broadband wireless services in a week.

According to people close to the development, Qualcomm has paid the dues on March 7, after the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate (TDSAT) recent direction to Qualcomm to deposit the amount as demanded by the department of telecommunication (DoT) from Tulip within four weeks.

TDSAT had also directed DoT to dispose of Qualcomm’s application for broadband wireless access (BWA) licence and expeditiously allot the spectrum for providing BWA services. Subsequently, TDSAT asked the DoT to grant the licence to Qualcomm within a week from the date of depositing of the dues.

Tulip holds a 13 per cent stake in the consortium, which had bid for BWA spectrum along with Qualcomm.

In June 2010, Qualcomm had bagged BWA spectrum in four circles in the auction —Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala for about Rs 4,900 crore. Qualcomm had challenged the DoT notice for cancelling the allotment of BWA spectrum in TDSAT. DoT had rejected Qualcomm’s application saying it had made four nominees.Then, DoT had raised the issue of dues of Tulip Telecom, which Qualcomm agreed to pay.