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New Delhi, Aug. 6 Reliance Communication’s plans to launch its GSM services has a hit bump with the existing operators refusing to accept the telecom regulator’s orders to offer interconnection links to the new player. The Cellular Operators Association of India has told the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that the order to offer link within 7 days was misplaced and needs a review.

Without interconnection, Reliance Communications will not be able to start commercial services as it means that a Reliance GSM subscriber would not be able to call any of the 200 million GSM subscribers belonging to the existing operators across the country. Rcom on Sunday announced a soft launch of its GSM services in Delhi for some of its employees. The TRAI had directed the GSM players on Tuesday to offer interconnection within 7 days or face action.

In response to the TRAI order, the GSM operators said that as per the current interconnect norms RCOM will have to renegotiate the terms with the existing players. “The Authority in its draft Reference Interconnect Order has also provided for a review of the Interconnect Agreement every time there is a material change in the licence conditions. Clearly, the permission to a CDMA licensee to set up a new GSM network is a material change in licensing conditions and necessitates a re-negotiation of the Interconnection agreements.”

TRAI had observed earlier that Rcom would be offering its GSM services as part of its existing unified access licence and therefore there was no need to renegotiate the interconnection agreement.

Taking on the TRAI order, the COAI said that interconnect agreements entered into by existing GSM operators and RCom are for the latter’s CDMA network. “The establishment of a new network by one party will therefore necessarily require a review of the interconnect agreements to allow for the introduction of this facility,” COAI said.

More Stories on : Telecommunications | Corporate Disputes | Reliance Communications Ltd

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