DISPUTE BETWEEN a warring local Internet service provider (ISP) and a major private broadband player in the business has left a large number of former’s subscribers in the city high and dry.
The problem began on October 19, when a team of officials from the Department of Telecom (DoT) swooped down on the local Internet service provider Sikka Cable Network and Sikka Net for allegedly operating unauthorised international phone call exchange. The DoT team grilled the network’s owner Tony Sikka for over four hours seeking information about certain specific IP users. Not satisfied with the reply of network owner, the telecom officials later lodged an FIR in this connection the same day with the Hazratganj police station.
Though divisional engineer (BTM), Telecom Department Lucknow, Arun Gupta has charged Dharmendra Sikka alias Tony Sikka with causing loss to government exchequer by making unauthorised international phone calls, the latter says he is being targeted reportedly at the behest of a business rival.
A case under section 4/30/25 of the Indian Telecom Act of 1885 and section 420, 120-B of Indian Penal Code has been registered in this connection against the local ISP. The FIR states that these lines have been sub-let by the service provider to unidentified consumers details of which were not made available to them by the license holder (Sikka).
{{/usCountry}}A case under section 4/30/25 of the Indian Telecom Act of 1885 and section 420, 120-B of Indian Penal Code has been registered in this connection against the local ISP. The FIR states that these lines have been sub-let by the service provider to unidentified consumers details of which were not made available to them by the license holder (Sikka).
{{/usCountry}}While Gupta was not available for comment, Sikka maintained that the FIR against him was baseless and motivated. “The DoT has no documentary proof to back its allegations. The entire exercise was premeditated. I am being harassed simply because I refused to pay the inflated bills furnished by this private broadband player from whom I had leased a 10 mbps line,” said Sikka.
The DoT officials, he said, got upset when I expressed my inability to provide them the information they were seeking because most of my staff, which manage these details were off because of the festive season, he added. On October 18, I communicated my decision to end the contract to the service provider and the very next day the DoT guys come calling on me, he pointed out.
According to him, the surfers were facing problem because the ISP had blocked his lease line. Though Sikka claimed that he had managed to resume the services, several subscribers in Trans Gomti and Hazratganj area complained that they were still not getting the service.