In continuation of the 3G roaming agreements issue, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has requested the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to provide all the details pertaining to the issue, including the chronology of events that led to the operators entering into such agreements.
This is aimed at examining whether DoT officials played a part in facilitating these deals.
Prior to this, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had asked the operators to provide DoT with copies of the roaming agreements they signed amongst themselves. These pacts permitted the operators to use each other?s spectrum to offer 3G services in circles where they do not hold such licences.
The issue began in 2011, when DoT had issued notices to the operators asking them to stop providing 3G services offered through roaming within 24 hours. This caused an uproar in the telecom space, with operators terming DoT?s move as irrational and illegal. The operators then approached TDSAT asking it to issue a stay on DoT in this context.
