DoT issues wireless broadband licence to US chipmaker Qualcomm
16 Mar 2012
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued an internet service provider (ISP) licence to US chipmaker Qualcomm, paving way for the company to go ahead with the launch of broadband wireless access (BWA) services.
A senior DoT official confirmed the licence had been issued to Qualcomm and spectrum would be allotted as soon as the company applied, according to a report in Business Standard. Qualcomm also confirmed receiving the licence to the newspaper.
Qualcomm had won BWA spectrum in four circles - Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala - for about Rs 4,900 crore in the auction held by the government in June 2010.
The decision came after the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) order, earlier this month, had directed DoT to award the licence and allot spectrum within a week of Qualcomm paying the dues of its Indian partner, Tulip Telecom.
In September last year, DoT had rejected Qualcomm's application, citing the chip-maker had missed the deadline for the application. Qualcomm, in a statement, had termed DoT's grounds as ''baseless''.
In the letter, DoT also said that while Qualcomm sought licenses for four nominee companies, the license could only be provided only to one under local rules.