Vodafone India seeks extension of licences for 3 circles
20 Dec 2012
Vodafone India, the Indian arm of British telecom major Vodafone Group Plc, has sought extensions for three of its telecom licences – in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata – expiring in November 2014.
The incumbent GSM operator had received licences in 1994 with 20-year tenures. It has 24 MHz spectrum in 900 MHz band, which is the best quality spectrum, across these circles.
In its letter to the telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar, Vodafone sought the extension under clause 4.1 of the licence agreement. Under the agreement, the government can extend the period of licence by 10 years at one time if the request is made by the operator during the 19th year of the licence period.
In addition to other licence conditions remaining same, Vodafone has asked for continuation of existing spectrum too.
''The 19th year of licence has commenced on 29-11-2012 for Mumbai,'' Vodafone said in its letter, adding, ''We request you to extend the period of our licence ...On terms to be mutually agreed''.
Similar letters were sent for the other two circles, which completed the 19th year on 30 November 2012.