DoT may bar RCOM, Bharti Airtel and Aircel from participating in USO Fund’s rural telephony projects

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) reportedly plans to bar Reliance Communications (RCOM), Bharti Airtel and Aircel from participating in future rural telephony projects supported by the Universal Services Obligation (USO) Fund for five years.

This is on grounds that the operators failed to meet their rollout targets under a GSM project launched by the USO Fund in 2007.

The project entailed covering 0.25 million villages in remote areas with GSM mobile sites.

Against a target of commissioning mobile services on 21,607 tower sites, the operators have covered 15,309 sites, despite the USO Fund repeatedly extending the deadline.

RCOM and Reliance Telecom, in particular, have fallen short of their targets by 65 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.