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Bharti Airtel has filed a plea with the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal seeking an extension of its licences set to expire in 2014.
Airtel wants its licences to be extended in Delhi and Kolkata even as the Department of Telecom has decided not to renew it.
The DoT has decided that operators whose licences are expiring next year will have to buy back spectrum through auctions set to be held in January.
Airtel, along with other incumbent players, have argued that the licence rules allow them to apply for automatic extension. Airtel has, however, said that it was willing to participate in the auction to determine the price of spectrum.
“Bharti Airtel has always supported a fair and transparent auction process to determine the true market value of spectrum. While staying committed to this position, the company believes that the license contract between Bharti Airtel and the Department of Telecom, guarantees the extension of the company’s licences along with the allocated spectrum,” Bharti Airtel said in a statement.
The company also expresses its willingness to pay the market determined price for all spectrum allocated to it on the basis of the auctions to be held in January.
Both TRAI and the DoT have rejected the proposal to reserve spectrum for incumbent players on grounds that other operators should also get an equal chance to bid for the 900 MHZ spectrum band.
thomas.thomas@thehindu.co.in
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