DoT has imposed a fine of Rs 2000 crore on Vodafone Idea and Rs 1050 crore on Bharti Airtel based on the recommendation of TRAI five years ago. According to the demand notice given to the companies, DoT has given three weeks to the operators to pay the penalty.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 crore on Vodafone Idea and Rs 1,050 crore on Bharti Airtel based on the recommendation of sector regulator TRAI five years ago. According to the information, according to the demand notice given to the companies, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has given three weeks to the telecom operators to pay the penalty.
Vodafone Idea and Airtel fined Rs 3050 crore
VI is to pay Rs 2,000 crore and Airtel Rs 1,050 crore. Notably, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had in 2016 recommended a fine of Rs 1,050 for “not providing enough POIs for each of the 21 circles”. VI’s big penalty comes from its 2018 merger with Idea Cellular, which was fined Rs 950 crore for rule violations in 19 circles.
Airtel will approch to court
Bharti Airtel spokesperson said, “We are deeply disappointed by the arbitrary and unreasonable demand relating to the provisions of Point of Interconnect to a new operator based on the 2016 TRAI recommendations. These allegations were baseless and motivated. “Bharti Airtel takes pride in maintaining high standards of compliance and always abides by the law of the land. We will challenge the demand and pursue the legal option available to us.”
Penalty imposed on the recommendation of TRAI
According to the information, there was no immediate comment from Vodafone Idea. In October 2016, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended a total fine of Rs 3,050 crore on Airtel, Vodafone Idea (now merged) for denying interconnectivity to Reliance Jio.
TRAI’s recommendation came on the complaint of Reliance Jio
The regulator had, at that time, refrained from recommending the cancellation of its telecom licenses, saying it could cause a lot of inconvenience to the consumer. TRAI’s recommendation came on the complaint of Reliance Jio that more than 75% of calls on its network were failing as Point of Interface (PoIs) were not being issued. The Digital Communications Commission, the apex decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications, approved the cumulative penalty in July 2019.
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