The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will seek the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal?s (TDSAT) consent for sharing details regarding the 3G intra-circle roaming arrangements (3G ICR) between service providers with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
DoT?s move comes over as a result of CAG requesting it to share details of the roaming pacts to ascertain the extent of loss to the national exchequer because of a lower ?revenue share? contributed by the private service providers, if any, through such arrangements. Further, CAG wants the information to assess whether the operators had deducted the 3G ICR from the total revenue while computing the total adjusted gross revenue, based on which operators pay a revenue share to the government.
However, DoT expressed its reluctance on sharing such information because TDSAT, while asking operators to share business details with the DoT, had directed DoT to maintain the confidentiality of such details.
Earlier, in a letter to DoT on June 5, 2013, CAG had requested the former to provide details regarding the 3G ICR agreements between service providers such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, Idea Cellular and Bharti Airtel, and Tata Teleservices Limited and Aircel.
The 3G ICR issue is currently sub judice in the Supreme Court. Service providers such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular claim that allowing their subscribers to use each other’s network to access 3G services in the circles where they do not have 3G licence is not in violation of the licensing norms. However, DoT has termed such pacts illegal.
