Trai, DoT not neutral, say cellular operators

The Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has told the group of ministers (GoM) on telecom that it does not consider the department of telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) neutral entities and therefore the views expressed by them cannot be the basis for a decision on a unified licence and limited mobility.

In a communication to Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, who is heading the GoM, cellular operators have said TRAI and DoT are key respondents in the dispute over allowing wireless in local loop (WLL) mobility.

"The Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal has passed adverse comments on some aspects of their role in the matter. Hence, they do not necessarily represent neutral views on the subject," the COAI letter said.

The GoM had yesterday said it would await Trai's recommendations on a unified licence before setting the conditions for the new regime.

Taking on the ministry of communications for its stand that the GoM had agreed in principle to unified licensing, the COAI said it hoped the finance minister would not let the ministerial group's name be used "to not only commit the GoM publicly, but also to pretend that the discussion has moved from an evaluation of the possibility of unified licensing to the mere formalities on how to migrate".

The COAI has also requested the GoM to give the cellular industry an opportunity to respond to the presentation made by Trai and DoT. "We would request, that in the interests of natural justice and fairness, which we have no doubt that you are committed to, we be given opportunities to respond to the presentations made by Trai and DoT. The GoM must engage and consult other experts of high integrity before any decision is taken," the COAI said.