DoT seeks legal opinion on licence cancellation issue

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is seeking legal opinion pertaining to cancelling 83 telecom licences owing to non-compliance of roll-out obligations.

In July 2011, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended cancelling 53 licences and also said that legal opinion should be sought with regard to 30 more.  

Show-cause notices were also issued to Aircel, Dishnet Wireless, Etisalat DB, Idea Cellular, Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited, Spice Communications and Vodafone Essar Spacetel in certain areas on the same grounds.

Prior to this, TRAI had recommended cancelling 43 licences issued between 2006 and 2008 and examining 31 more for non-utilisation of spectrum.

DoT had granted 145 licences between 2006 and 2008.