The Hindu : SC won't stay order on WLL technology

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 08, 2002

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SC won't stay order on WLL technology

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 7. The Supreme Court today declined to stay the Telecom Dispute Appellate Tribunal's (TDSAT) order of March 15 last, upholding the Centre's decision to permit the basic telephone service providers to offer limited mobility service to consumers.

A Bench comprising P.Sethi and K.G. Balakrishnan, at the same time, issued notices to the Union of India and the basic operators on petitions from the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and others challenging the TDSAT order and fixed July 19 for hearing.

The limited mobility services based on the Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) technology offer mobility at the tariff of Rs.1.20 for a three-minute outgoing call and free incoming calls.

The cellular operators' submitted that the difference in tariff between the existing fixed line service and the WILL mobility was huge and significant with no provision for `free calls', thus making it virtually impossible for target-fixed line consumers, namely, rural and low income subscribers to afford `WLL' mobility.

The TDSAT in its order had said that "increasing the teledensity of the country is an object which must be pursued with zeal and vigour and nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of pursuing this objective.''

It had also observed that "there may be erosion of profits of the petitioners (cellular operators) but the petitioners have already been compensated in various ways.''

"There cannot be any legitimate expectation that no new technology will evolve any and if any new technology comes that will not be allowed to be adopted by any competitor of the petitioners,'' the Tribunal noted.

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