In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Gurudas Kamat, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunications has said that Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has opted for a franchisee model to monetise its Rs 83.13 billion investment on securing pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum, say news reports.
He added that as per the provisions of the expression of interest and agreement signed with the franchisee companies, they are required to pay the amortised value of spectrum to BSNL on a monthly basis.
A direct enquiry is being conducted by the Central Vigilance Commission on the alleged irregularities in allotting BSNL’s Wi-Max technology franchisee, he added.
The Department of Telecommunications has also constituted a committee under the chairman of the member (finance), Telecom Commission, for a detailed examination of the course of action taken by BSNL, while floating a tender for short-listing of bidders for its Wi-Max franchisees.
BSNL has short-listed three companies, Teracom, Starnet and Take Solutions, as franchisees. Teracom has been given the Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar circles, Starnet has been given the Chennai telecom district and Himachal Pradesh and Take Solutions has won rights in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (West) and Orissa.
As per the agreement, the franchisee was to deploy a Wi-Max network and BSNL would provide infrastructure such as the premises, towers and media connectivity.
