Hurt and dismayed by Trai’s remarks, say operators

NEW DELHI: Telecom operators on Friday said they were dismayed by the “misplaced, baseless and misleading” remarks made against them by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in the Supreme Court.

“The industry is deeply hurt by such strong remarks, especially when it is a well-known and acknowledged fact that huge investments have been made by the operators, which has yielded in connecting and empowering a billion people,” COAI, an association of telecom companies, said in a statement. It also urged concerned authorities to refrain from the use of such harsh and unsubstantiated language.

Attor ney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Trai before the Supreme Court, on Thursday, said a “cartel” of 4-5 telecom firms was making ` 250 crore a day but not investing to reduce call drops.