Telecom top brass campaign to dilute TRAI suggestions

Days after new and old telcoms joined hands against TRAI, CNBC-TV18 reports that the chief executives of four  telecom compaines including
Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Airtel, Vittorio Colao of Vodafone, Kumarmangalam Birla of Idea Cellular and Fredrik Baksaas of Telenor are meeting members of the spectrum eGoM and top government officials to lobby against the TRAI's 2G auction recommendations.

Earlier in the day, the top brass said that TRAI's recommendations would be negative for the industry.

Bharti Airtel chairman and MD Sunil Mittal is just one of the many disappointed voices in the industry. Mittal lashed out at the inconsistencies in the recommendations of telecom regulator TRAI.

"There's no lobbying going on. we're trying to present the facts and show the inconsistencies in the three recommendations issued in the last three months by TRAI. We believe the recommendations are completely flawed and illogical. Perhaps, the regulator arrived at a decision and then filled up the logic. Overall,  everything that is coming out of the regulatory house today is a mode of destroying  India's  telecom industry," he explained.

Telenor's CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas reiterated that the company would move out of India if the TRAI recommendations were passed without modification. Baksaas said that the main issue of spectrum supply was serious and under such situation, it was tough to operate in India.

"The recommendations that TRAI bought forward last week brings up some tough questions. If the recommendations become standing decisions, we will not be able to carry on in India. The decision to exit has not been taken as there is a potential for a revision of the TRAI recommendations," said Baksaas.