SC bars Airtel from enrolling new 3G users in 7 circles

The Supreme Court today barred Bharti Airtel from extending intra-circle roaming facilities to new customers in circles where it does not have 3G licence till its final order but allowed the telecom operator to continue existing operations.

The seven circles where Airtel does not have license to provide 3G services are Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh East and Kerala.

The court has also allowed Vodafone and Idea to be party to the 3G roaming case.

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The apex court will now hear the 3G intra-circle roaming case on 9 May. In the meanwhile, it has directed the government to not take any coercive steps on issue of penalty against Bharti Airtel.

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The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had on March 15 asked the telco to terminate its 3G roaming pacts with other service providers - Vodafone and Idea Cellular- in seven circles in which it does not have licences to offer services. It had also fined Bharti Rs 350 crore for offering 3G services beyond permitted zones.

The Supreme Court on Monday , granted temporary relief to Bharti Airtel in the case, asking the government not to take action against the country’s leading telecom service provider until Thursday, April 11.

The Department of Telecom has also issued notices to Vodafone India and Idea Cellular cancelling their intra-circle roaming agreements that allows telcos to offer 3G services in the circles where they do not have spectrum.