Basic firms take back SC appeal on entry fee

Private basic operators took back their appeal in the Supreme Court against the telecom tribunal's August 8 order, which imposed an additional entry fee on them for providing limited mobility services.

S C Khanna, secretary general, Association of Basic Telecom Operators (ABTO), said, "The decision has been taken by the members of ABTO to ensure a litigation-free environment, whereby the telecom sector can grow at a fast pace."

However, the main reason for the withdrawal is the fact that the governments' decision to unify cellular and basic licences has nullified the impact of the entry fee for providing WLL services. The government had said the entry fee paid by WLL operators would be adjusted when calculating the entry fee for unified licence.

On the other hand, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) will meet on Thursday to chart out the future course of action.

The Cellular Operators' Association of India has said it will not challenge the government's decision and focus on the discussion with the finance ministry for compensation. However, Cellular Operators' Association of India already has an appeal against limited mobility pending in the Supreme Court.

Cellular operators had moved the court to counter ABTO's appeal. "With the withdrawal of Association of Basic Telecom Operators's appeal, it is hoped that the COAI will also similarly withdraw their appeal to ensure a litigation-free environment in the telecom sector," Khanna said.