Uninor has discontinued its mobile services in the Mumbai circle.
Its decision comes in the wake of the recent Supreme Court order that directed all operators, who lost their licences in February 2012 and did not participate in the 2G spectrum auction held in November 2012, to cease operations.
Commenting on the development, Sigve Brekke, managing director, Uninor said, ??We have pursued every alternative possible to continue our operations in Mumbai until the new auction takes place. Now the court has ordered an immediate closure of operations and no temporary license too is available to allow a gradual process. Unfortunately, we have no choice now but to follow the court?s order and close down our network immediately. I deeply regret the consequences this has for our customers, employees and business partners ? each of whom have been a part of a remarkable fight back last year. We will now make every effort, within the limitations of this court order, to minimise the negative impact on all affected by this development?
Meanwhile, in an official statement, the operator said that it plans to assist its employees in Mumbai to find new employment opportunities. The company said that this would include, among other options, evaluating opportunities in other circles where it will continue its operations. Additionally, outplacement agencies will be hired to secure placements outside the company
Prior to this, in December 2012, Uninor had informed its subscribers of imminent service closure in Kolkata and West Bengal. The operator had asked its users to migrate to other networks. However, in the Mumbai circle, Uninor has about 18,00,000 subscribers who will be affected by the operator’s move to cease services, as it did not advise its users to migrate to another network.
