The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Sunday upheld the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal's (TDSAT's) ruling limiting wireless mobility within a single local call area or short-distance calling area (SDCA). The TDSAT ruling bars wireless in local loop mobility (WLL-M) operators from providing mobility beyond the SDCA in which a customer is registered.
Briefing reporters, Communications and IT Minister Arun Shourie said, "It has been decided to enforce TDSAT's ruling in regard to WLL under which mobility will be limited to a single SDCA." He did not, however, provide a time-frame for enforcing the ruling.
There were indications that the move could affect call forwarding and multiple registration services offered by some WLL-M operators.
Commenting on the decision, Reliance Entertainment Chairman Amit Khanna said, “As far as we are concerned, it's a status quo. The services that we offer presently are in conformity with the licence agreement. It will not affect the millions of subscribers using our services as our call drops at the SDCA are permissible under the licence.”
On the question of the unified licence regime, Shourie said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will finalise its recommendations soon. The GoM will meet again on October 30 to discuss the recommendations.
“While the first consultation paper on this issue has already been released, we hope to receive the final recommendation on unified licences from TRAI by October 30,” said Shourie.
{{/usCountry}}“While the first consultation paper on this issue has already been released, we hope to receive the final recommendation on unified licences from TRAI by October 30,” said Shourie.
{{/usCountry}}The meeting also took a decision on releasing additional spectrum. “We are deliberating upon a fee structure and the ways by which we can (provide incentives to) players who use the spectrum efficiently. We should be able to see some additional spectrum being released in a month," said Shourie.