3G: DoT may leak roaming pact details, telcos tell tribunal

The tussle between telecom companies and the government over 3G roaming arrangements took a new turn on Monday, as the department of telecommunications (DoT) moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for copies of the roaming agreements between various service providers.

However, mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Aircel, and Tata Telecom, opposed the request, saying this was commercially sensitive information that could be leaked from the DoT to rivals.

"The information is getting leaked like a sea. It would be highly unfair for operators. The moment it is leaked, it would reach our rival operators," said one of the counsels appearing for telecom firms.

"If they want a copy, let them file a proper application and then we would file our objection," said C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for one of the telecom companies.

The tribunal deferred its decision on the matter till 17 January. Until then, operators can continue to offer 3G roaming outside the areas for which they have licences through the existing mutual arrangements.

The deferral comes because last week, the DoT questioned the tribunal's jurisdiction to entertain the petitions of the five telecom operators challenging the government's directive to end 3G roaming agreements.