The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in an affidavit to the apex court has said that the licences awarded to dual technology operators in 2007 should not be cancelled, say news reports.
According to DoT, the dual technology licences held by the operators are different from the 2G licences cancelled by the Supreme Court order in February 2012.
DoT filed the affidavit in response to the Supreme Court seeking a reply from it following Cellular Operators Association of India?s (COAI) approaching the court with a request to cancel the licences of dual technology operators. COAI requested the apex court to withdraw the licences held by players like Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices Limited and put up the spectrum that is released, for auction in the forthcoming 2G spectrum auction.
According to COAI, the licences granted to dual-technology players were illegal, since these licences were issued by the government between September 2007 and March 2008. This was the same period in which GSM players were allotted 2G licences. Therefore, as per the Supreme Court?s verdict along with the cancellation of 122 2G licences, these licences too should have been cancelled.
