By
Telecom Lead Team: To protect mobile customers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India (TRAI) is likely to come out with fresh guidelines for operations of
telecom companies that lost their licences after the Supreme Court verdict of 2
February cancelling 122 2G licences.
The
regulator is examining issues such as selling recharge coupons and new
connections by the nine service providers that will have to surrender their
spectrum in four months’ time, according to media reports.
Companies
that are set to lose all or some of their licences are Uninor, Loop Telecom,
MTS India, Etisalat DB, S Tel, Videocon, Tata Teleservices and Idea Cellular.
Users
have the option of number portability, allowing them to change their service
provider without having to change their phone number, but TRAI feels that many
customers are unaware that the existing provider cannot extend services beyond
four months if it fails to obtain a fresh licence.
Uninor,
for instance, has added over 3 lakh customers in the last one week after the
Supreme Court ruling, Uninor managing director Sigve Brekke recently said at a
press briefing.
According
to a senior official of Uninor, as of now there is no restriction by TRAI on
their business activity.
