Reliance Communications (Rcom) Chairman Anil Ambani, who has been silent on the spectrum issue, has lashed out at the GSM operators' body, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), stating that the body's move to block his GSM venture is "unwarranted". Ambani also accused COAI of "false propaganda" and stated this is against competition and in the interest of the subscribers.
"When you look at the propaganda by COAI, the reality is something that they do not want to recognise. The reality is that the licenses are technology neutral, they were upheld by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecommunications," he told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference today.
Stating that Rcom was issued permission to operate on both the platforms – CDMA and GSM – after paying the licence fee of Rs 1,650 crore, COAI propaganda is "unnecessary, unwarranted and misleading", he said.
RCom, which already has GSM operations in eight circles, has a spectrum eligibility date of October 19, 2007, which was also "misrepresented by certain parties".
"The COAI is not representative of the Indian mobile industry. We have also disassociated from the organisation, despite being a member of COAI and a GSM operator," he added.
COAI had moved Telecom Disputes Settlement and Apellate Tribunal (TDSAT) alleging that RCom was being provided licence, bypassing many other operators who were in the queue for the last 2-3 years. TDSAT is yet to pronounce its decision.
Commenting on the issue, Ambani said: "We respect the judiciary process and are awaiting its judgment".
Earlier, Communications Minister A Raja informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that COAI was misleading the country on the spectrum issue.
Anil Ambani group and Tatas had sought to take benefit of the dual technology immediately after the announcement of the new policy mechanism. While RCOm was given licence and is awaiting allocation of spectrum, Tatas were awaiting licence for rollout of GSM operations. |
