India’s telecom heavyweight Bharti Airtel, is getting ready to unveil its 4G services in Delhi even though it has some legal issues to deal with while this happens. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has allowed the company to roll out its next generation network only if it promises to pay Rs 436.09 crores as well as interest to the body.
Airtel may not be forced to hand over Rs 436.09 crores to the DoT if the court rules in its favor. But right now, the Airtel’s still a petitioner according to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Hence, it must file an undertaking to pay the Union of India the aforementioned amount of money in case the final ruling requires it to do so.
In 2013, Airtel bought ABSPL, a telecom company belonging to US-based chip maker Qualcomm. This acquisition meant that the ABSPL’s broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum licenses for Mumbai, Delhi, Kerala and Haryana were transferred to Airtel too. The DoT subsequently demanded Rs 436 crores from the Indian telecom brand for combining Airtel Broadband Services (ABSPL) with itself.
ABSPL has an Internet service provider (ISP) permit, while Airtel has a unified license. This means that the latter has the option of offering voice telephony using the spectrum it grabbed without actually participating in the auction. The Economic Times reports that the operator has joined hands with Huawei in order to launch its Airtel 4G network in Delhi.
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Apart from entering Delhi, Airtel wants to spread its 4G network in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, North East and Punjab within this year itself. Airtel currently delivers 4G services in 19 cities across India.