Cell operators to move SC on WLL
economictimes.indiatimes.com
PTI [ THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2002 6:11:50 PM ]
EW DELHI: Within a month of the telecom tribunal's ruling
in favour of basic operators on the limited mobility case,
cellular operators on Thursday said they have decided to
approach Supreme Court "to seek justice" and appeal against
"the wrongful, illegal and unlicensed entry of fixed operators into
mobile services through backdoor".
Stating that the cellular industry had decided to approach the
Supreme Court to seek justice, the operators said in a statement
that they would "appeal against the wrongful, illegal and
unlicenced entry of fixed operators into mobile services through
backdoor entry - without paying any entry fee and without being
subject to same terms and conditions as are applicable to
licenced cellular operators..."
"Wireless in local loop (WLL) mobility is no march of technology.
The CDMA technology, which is being used to offer WLL (M)
service is nothing but a full-fledged mobile technology, that is
being used in the rest of the world since 1995 to offer mobile
services under a mobile licence," the statment added.
It said that the cellular industry believed that provisions of
equivalent mobile services (WLL mobility and cellular mobile)
under different licences and on different terms and conditions
would lead to the demise of fair competition, which it pointed out
would not be in public interest.
"Introduction of WLL (M) would definitely not contribute to
increased tele density, especially in rural areas, which was the
purported objective of permitting this service, as WLL was about
six times more expensive than fixed service in rural areas and
about double the price of fixed services in urban areas," the
statement added.
It said that affordibility of WLL services was based on a single
factor, that the local call charges under WLL would be under Rs
1.20 for three minutes.
"The affordibility of WLL services should not be judged by only
comparing call charges - it should include a comparison of all
aspects, such as call charges, monthly rental, cost of handset," it
added and pointed out that WLL services were more expensive
than cellular mobile services with respect to both monthly rentals
and cost of mobile handset.
It alleged that the call tariff of Rs 1.20 for three minutes was only
"an introductory deception and could not be sustained".
The cellular operators said that introduction of WLL would
decimate cellular businesses, destroying Rs 20,000 crore of
investments that had already been made in the sector.
The decision of the operators to move the apex court come after
the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Apellate Tribunal (TDSAT),
on March 15, dismissed a petition filed by cellular operators
against Government's earlier decision to permit basic operators
in the country to offer limited mobility services.
"Taking an overall view of the case we are of the view that
increasing teledensity of the country is an object which must be
persued with zeal and vigour. Nothing should be allowed to stand
in the way of persuing this objective," the tribunal had said in its
order.
Referring to a point raised by the Cellular Operators Association
of India (COAI) that allowing basic operators to offer WLL may
impact cellular industry, TDSAT had said, "There may be erosion
of the profits of the petitioners, the cellular operators. But the
petitioners have already been compensated in various ways, as
we have noted earlier." |
