Centre has assured Uninor support to help it through

Uninor, one of the telecom operators whose 2G licence has been cancelled by the Supreme Court, today said Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal had assured it of the Centre's support to help it steer through the crisis.

"I met Kapil Sibal yesterday and he assured me that the Centre would help Telenor steer through the storm as it has not done anything wrong," Uninor Managing Director and Telenor's Asia head Sigve Brekke told reporters here today.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court had not found fault with their company but with the government for implementing a wrong policy. Telenor is a majority shareholder in Uninor, a Joint Venture with Indian realty player Unitech. The Norwegian government in turn holds the majority stake in Telenor.

Uninor's licence, along with other new operators, was cancelled after the Supreme Court judgement last week on the basis that all 122 2G licences were issued illegally in January 2008 by former Telecom Minister A Raja. The apex court asked the government to seek fresh recommendations from TRAI to distribute licences and spectrum through auction and complete the process within four months.

Brekke said the Centre also assured Norway's IT Minister Rigmor Aasrud it would do everything to secure Telenor's interests and ensure it continues operations in India. He said Uninor is looking at a 10-15 year investment plan. "We are looking at how can we secure what we already have achieved," he said.

The company has invested Rs 14,000 crore in India and added 40 million subscribers, Brekke said. "In 2011, we grabbed 8.5 lakh subscribers in Karnataka circle. We will continue to add more subscribers and are in a good position to achieve it," he said.

Asked about the fate of contract obligations Uninor has with various companies, Brekke said "nothing happens to the contracts and will be carried out assuming the company gets through the fresh auction."