New name for basic operators' body

The Association of Basic Telecom Operators (ABTO) has got a new name. The body will now be known as the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUTSPI). This comes just over a month after the unification of cellular and basic services licences.

While the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) will remain a separate entity as of now, AUTSPI will hold meetings with cellular operators on a monthly basis.

The decision was taken at the annual general body meeting of basic operators.

Prakash Bajpai of Reliance Infocomm has been elected the new president of AUTSPI. He takes over from S Ramakrishnan of Tata Teleservices. Ashok Sood, also from Tata Tele, will be the vice chairman of the new association.

Bajpai said this was done in view of the emerging telecom scenario in the country, adding that the association had started a dialogue with other telecom players to form a single association. Bajpai also said they were in discussion with cellular operators to jointly take up issues with the government.

Already, the two lobby groups have sent a representation on the issue of excluding non-telecom revenues from the amount on which the licence fee is charged.

Other issues like spectrum allocation and interconnection with BSNL were also being taken up jointly, Bajpai said.

"The merger of AUTSPI and COAI will be an ideal situation. Whether it happens or not depends on many factors," said Bajpai.