Letter to the Editor: DoT/Trai Killing 3G Services

This is with regard to the issues related to 3G roaming agreements which the operators are currently facing and their tussle with the government ‘Dot/trai Killing 3G Services’ ( VOICE&DATA, November 2011). Not every telephone company has got 3G spectrum in every state of India. But they are present in every state offering the 2G services. Wanting to give 3G service to their existing customers, the 3G havenots make agreements with companies that have the 3G license service in their area. The DOT and the Trai holding these agreements illegal is irrational and is an arbitrary exercise of power. Few reasons are stated below:

We have more than a dozen railway zones in our country. A person wanting to go from Vijayawada to Guwahati is buying a ticket from south-central railway, and this train is traversing several other railway zones. The money he paid to the SCR is apportioned by mutual agreement between the various railway zones. Similarly, we can buy air tickets from one travel company covering the distance through 2 or more airlines. We fly from Hyderabad to Amsterdam by one airline, which does not take us from Amsterdam to Los Angeles, but we switch the planes in Amsterdam and reach the destination. The travel is between Hyderabad and Amsterdam.

We make a telephone call from Hyderabad to Lagos, but the call is carried on the networks of 3 or 4 companies in different countries. The companies share the charges collected by the company where the call originated. It should therefore be obvious that by inter-company agreements any service can be provided anywhere in India by any company. Government should be interested in getting the prescribed revenue share. That is not being evaded or avoided by the sort of agreements between the various telcos having and not having 3G spectrum.

Departments like that of electronics and defense production and broadcasting plead other government departments for easing restrictions and for provision of incentives for the respective industries to flourish. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is offering several incentives to the private sector cable companies to change over from analogue to digital TV. Tax holidays, customs concessions, and increased FDI are canvassed by the Ministry of I& B, with the other government departments to help the private cable companies to change over for the improvement of quality of service for the viewers. Very curiously, it is only the DOT which is always wanting to inflict all sorts of restrictions and financial burdens on the telcos, in the process it is harming the PSU telcos namely, BSNL and MTNL. The DOT should get over this mentality; and if cannot, it is better to abolish it and entrust the affairs regarding telecoms to another ministry like commerce. Incidentally, scandals associated with telecom in the DOT would be a thing of the past.

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