MTS, Videocon , Uninor , TTSL to shut service, TRAI asks them to inform customer

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued directions to those operators who have failed to win spectrum to inform their subscribers within 10 days about the closure of their services. These operators are Tata Teleservices, Videocon Telecommunications, Uninor and Sistema Shyam Teleservices. Uninor on Monday said that it would close its operations in Kolkata and West Bengal and inform its customers.

Among these operators, only Tata Teleservices (TTL) informed Trai that its services in, North East and Jammu and Kashmir shall stand terminated from mid-night of January 18, 2013. The apex court had cancelled CDMA permits of TTL in these service areas.

TRAI has asked all these four players to inform "all its existing subscribers, in such service areas, either in writing or through SMS, within 10 days of issue of this direction and every new subscriber at the time of their enrollment to its network the date of discontinuance of its services."

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Uninor in a statement said," it will issue a public notice to all its customers in Kolkata and West Bengal requesting them to exhaust their balance by January 18, 2013 and utilize mobile number portability to port out to any other operator of choice."

Uninor's majority stakeholder Telenor is in process to get its entire business transferred to new entity, Telewings Communications which has won spectrum in six telecom service areas - UP East, UP West, Bihar (including Jharkhand), Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra (including Goa).

Uninor, however, said operations in the Mumbai circle are continuing as Telenor Group is evaluating the possibility of participating in the second auction for spectrum in Mumbai as indicated by government.

Videocon won spectrum in 6 circles - Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, UP East and UP West, while it lost permits in 21 circles.

Russian conglomerate Sistema-led SSTL has been waiting for hearing of its curative petition filed in May 4, 2012 and did not participate in last month's auction.

Among those whose licences were cancelled, Idea Cellular won spectrum in all circles where it was required to for continuing its operation. Loop Telecom, Etisalat DB and S Tel have already announced closing of their operations in India.