Operators seek Mahajan’s help for interconnection agreements
By Our Corporate Bureau | 06 Jan 2003
New Delhi: Private basic service operators have sought the intervention of Union Communications Minister Pramod Mahajan to ensure that the cellular mobile service providers (CMSP) reach suitable interconnection agreements with them.
In
a letter to Mahajan, Association of Basic Telecom Operators
secretary general S C Khanna has pointed out that the
denial of interconnection by the cellular operators is
violative of the basic rights of the consumers to be able
to freely connect and talk to subscribers on any other
network; this is also against the very spirit of NTP ’99.
“We appreciate that you understand the importance of interconnection and have also stated that interconnection is a mandatory requirement and cannot be denied by anyone. We fully support your understanding of this issue and it is in line with the terms and conditions of the cellular licence agreement,” Khanna has written.
Quoting the cellular licence agreement clause 27.5, he noted: “It shall be mandatory for cellular service providers to provide interconnection to all eligible telecom service providers as well as NLD serviced providers whereby the subscribers shall have a free choice to make inter-circle / international long-distance calls through NLD service provider.”
Basic
service operators, who have launched services recently,
require interconnection with cellular operators in order
to ensure universal utility and availability of telecom
services. While the basic operators have already initiated
discussions, the cellular operators have been stalling
it for several months.
