The Indian government has so far collected so far about Rs2.16bn (US$47m) from operators who failed to meet their 2G network rollout obligations back in 2008, according to local reports.
But telecom secretary R. Chandrasekhar was quoted saying that the…
The Indian government has so far collected so far about Rs2.16bn (US$47m) from operators who failed to meet their 2G network rollout obligations back in 2008, according to local reports.
But telecom secretary R. Chandrasekhar was quoted saying that the government had expected another Rs1.27bn (US$27.7m) in damages before 21 January.
In early January, several cellcos including Etisalat DB, Loop Telecom and Unitech Wireless were asked to pay penalties to the federal government for failing to cover at least 10% of the district headquarters within 12 months of receiving 2G licences.
According to local reports, the Department of Telecom (DoT) had given them 15 days to pay up in order to avoid cancellation of licences amid the 2G scam saga.
Some operators, including Unitech Wireless (Uninor), called on the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the DoT with regards to the penalties. However, Chandrasekhar said that these operators were expected to pay the damages as soon as possible.
