WLL's mobile, TDSAT tells Reliance Info

Terming Reliance Infocomm's fixed wireless phone services equivalent to "limited" mobile services, telecom tribunal, the TDSAT, has asked the Anil Ambani-controlled operator to pay up Access Deficit Charge, and other relevant charges, like all other private cellular operators.

Incidentally, the tribunal had given a similar ruling recently against the Tatas.

"The previous findings of TDSAT in the Tata case will also hold good in this petition and since the matter is already subjudice at the apex court, we won't enter into an investigation beyond what is stated herein," Justice Santosh Hegde, chairperson, TDSAT, said in the order.

The tribunal on September 2005 had dismissed a petition filed by Tata Teleservices Ltd and Maharashtra Teleservices Ltd against BSNL holding that the service offered by the Tatas under the brandname "Walky" was actually a wireless in local loop (Mobile) service - a service with limited mobility and not a fixed telephone service, contrary to the licence granted to them.

The Tatas have challenged this order in the Supreme Court.

Reliance Infocomm had filed a petition with the TDSAT challenging BSNL Chennai's demand for ADC payments.

ADC is a levy collected by BSNL to fund its rural telephone projects and fixed-line telephone operators are exempt from paying the charge.

Reliance Infocomm had argued that its fixed wireless phone service used a "limited radio frequency" sector of a base station which restricts mobility of its services considerably.

Hence, those services were "fixed", they had said.

"But the mobility provided by this service is also sufficient to use it outside the premises of a subscriber," the tribunal's ruling said.