Govt issues licenses to new mobile phone firms
Saturday, 12 January 2008, 01:58 IST
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New Delhi: The communications ministry has begun the process of issuing licences to companies that want to enter the mobile phone services business in the country and had applied last year, officials said on Thursday. Some 25 firms, which had applied for licences as of September 25 last year, are expected to get the letters of intent, following a clearance from Communications Minister A. Raja, a ministry official said. The actual licences will be issued after the applicants fulfil some formalities, including payment of requisite fee to the government, the official added. Officials said the decision was taken since neither the Delhi High Court nor the telecom tribunal had prevented the government from starting the process of issuing the letters of intent to new applicants. Meanwhile, the government told the industry tribunal Wednesday that enough radio frequencies would be available to mobile phone operators after allocation of scarce spectrum to the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications. "It's absolutely nonsense that after giving spectrum to Reliance Communications no spectrum would be left," Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati told the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Appearing on behalf of the government, he said this will be conclusively proved during the next hearing Jan 24. Vahanvati's reply came when TDSAT Chairman Arun Kumar wanted the government to file a reply on a report prepared by a committee set up by the Telecom Engineering Centre, which oversees telecom spectrum in the country.
Source: IANS
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