The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to approve Bharti Airtel?s conditional request to migrate to the new unified licence regime. The access services department, an internal wing of DoT which spearheads licencing matters is learnt to be in the process of seeking approvals on the subject from higher authorities.
Prior to this, the operator, in a written communication to DoT, had said that that certain terms and conditions of the unified licence already formed the subject matter of pending court proceedings, to which the DoT was also a party. These proceedings were at an advanced stage of adjudication before various courts and tribunals across India and both parties were bound by and will continue to be bound by the interim orders that had been passed therein till the final disposal.
The operator further asserted that rule of sub-judice would apply to all clauses of the unified licence, which formed the subject matter of proceedings, and would be subject to the final orders and principles laid down by courts and the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal. The company stated that it sought ?DoT’s approval to apply for migration from a unified access service licence to a unified licence? with the above understanding.
The company, in the letter dated November 1, listed seven matters that were sub-judice including extension of licence, one-time fee, spectrum usage charges, definition of adjusted gross revenue and 3G inter-circle roaming.
