DoT no to external audit of customers for spectrum

DoT officials feel that prima facie there were no reasons to doubt the figures being given by the operators and therefore, no reason for outside verification.

Tata group chief Ratan Tata had earlier questioned the allotment of spectrum on the basis of "self-proclaimed subscriber base" by individual service providers, prompting sharp reaction from Cellular Operators Association of India and players like Hutchison and Bharti.

Asked about the verification issue, DoT officials said the market had matured and the government had to have some faith in the service providers, although the DoT had the right to verify or check if gross or visible discrepancies came to their notice.

However, the department has not got any cause to believe that operators were giving false figures on their subscriber additions.

The Tata group chief had questioned using the numbers provided by operators as basis for allocating spectrum.