Uninor is going to cease operations in Kolkata and West Bengal from January 19, 2013, say news reports.
The operator?s decision follows cancellation of its licences by the Supreme Court in February this year. With no decision taken by the government on the second round of spectrum auctions to be conducted in the 1800 MHz band in 2013, Uninor has decided to discontinue its mobile services in the two circles.
Uninor will issue a public notice to all its customers in these two circles requesting them to exhaust their balance by January 18, 2012 and opt for mobile number portability. As of October, 2012, in the two circles of Kolkata and West Bengal, Uninor had a total subscriber base of 5.6 million.
Uninor is also making roaming arrangements with other operators to ensure that its customers in circles, where services continue, are able to use their number while travelling to other states. The company has also started the process of settling outstanding dues with retailers and distributors in these two circles.
After terminating its partnership with Unitech Limited, Telenor ASA established Telewings Communications Services Limited in collaboration with Lakshdeep Investment and Finance Limited to continue operating in the telecom sector. Uninor?s assets will be transferred to Telewings Communications, in which Telenor holds 74 per cent stake.
The Telenor Group, through Telewings Communications Services Limited, won fresh licences and spectrum for the next 20 years in the just concluded 2G spectrum auction. The group won spectrum in six circles including Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Bihar (including Jharkhand), Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra (including Goa).
After ceasing operations in Kolkata and West Bengal, Uninor will withdraw its services from 12 other circles, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, North East, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
