The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is reportedly plan to issue notices to Loop Mobiles? customers to switch to another operator prior to the expiry of Loop?s licence in the Mumbai circle in November 2014. The telecom department is of the view that the move will prevent the acquisition of Loop?s customers by Bharti Airtel in the circle as per a deal signed between the two telecom operators through a slump sale.
Further, DoT believe that Loop will have no right over the subscribers after its licence expires in the Mumbai circle and therefore, it cannot transfer these subscribers to another operator.
Though the deal was signed in February 2014, it is still subject to regulatory approvals. Earlier, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had raised an objection over the slump sale of subscribers to another telecom operator citing that the deal implied that Loop?s subscribers would be ported out involuntarily, which was against the MNP (mobile number portability) rules offering voluntary porting.
