2G scam: SC reserves order on cancellation of licences
The petitioners contended that even the sectoral regulator TRAI has recommended cancellation of 69 out of the 122 licences as the licencees have failed to roll out their services in time as per the conditions stipulated for grant of licences.
March 18, 2011 / 11:45 IST
The petitioners contended that even the sectoral regulator TRAI has recommended cancellation of 69 out of the 122 licences as the licencees have failed to roll out their services in time as per the conditions stipulated for grant of licences.
The bench had earlier issued notices to 11 private telecom companies, which were granted licences despite allegedly being ineligible to secure them or had failed to launch services within stipulated time-frame.
The private telecom companies which were issued notices included Etisalat, Uninor, Loop Telecom, Videocon, S-Tel, Allianz Infra, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices, Sistema Shyam Teleservices, Dishnet Wireless, Vodafone-Essar along with TRAI.
The telecom companies which have come under scrutiny for having benefited in 2G spectrum scam, however, refuted any illegality in allotment of spectrum and told the Supreme Court that allocation of the air waves since 2003 should be scrapped if the first-come-first-served policy adopted during Raja''s tenure as telecom minister is to be held illegal.
The court proceeding in the case witnessed a virtual telecom war with the old service providers contending that spectrum alloted to them are valid and they should not be compared with new players whose licenses are under the judicial scrutiny.
Established companies Vodafone and Aircel opposed the contentions of Swan, Videocon and Shyam Telecom which had pleaded that if the court decides to cancel their allotment of spectrum, it should be applied retrospectively from 1995 as the natural resources have been alloted under the same policy. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
