The Supreme Court has asked Bharti Airtel to approach the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), with its petition against a Department of Telecommunication (DoT) order asking the operator to stop providing intra-circle 3G roaming service in markets where it does not hold 3G licence.
The court has directed Bharti Airtel to approach TDSAT within next two weeks, while the tribunal has been asked to decide the matter by end-2013. However, the Supreme Court has stated that its interim order restraining Bharti Airtel from adding new 3G customers through 3G roaming pacts would continue till December 2013.
The bench, comprising justices B.S. Chauhan and S.A. Bobde, also asked Bharti Airtel to name Reliance Communication (RCOM) as a respondent in the petition before TDSAT which in turn would decide as to whether RCOM has the right to be heard or not.
Earlier, DoT had directed operators such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular Limited to stop providing intra-circle 3G roaming service in circles where they did not have 3G spectrum through roaming pacts with other operators. DoT had also imposed financial penalty on the three operators.
