Airtel, Vodafone and Idea fined for denial of interconnection to Jio

NEW DELHI: The Indian telecom regulator slapped heavy penalties on three telecom players — Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular — on Friday for not providing sufficient points of interconnections (PoI) to Reliance Jio.

It also said the action of the three operators showed “ulterior motive to stifle competition”.

In similar letters to the players, the watchdog — Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) — said it has recommended a penal action of `50 crore per licence service area (LSA) (except Jammu and Kashmir) where PoI congestion exceeded the allowable limit of 0.5% as reported by Airtel/ Vodafone/Idea Cellular through e-mails on September 23.

In the case of Airtel and Vodafone, the fines imposed were for 21 LSAs, amounting to `1,050 crore each, while in the case of Idea, the fine was `950 crore for 19 LSAs.

The regulator had received a letter from Reliance Jio on July 14, stating that the incumbent players were not providing it with sufficient E1s (interconnect points, with technical parameters).