Trai directs Videocon Telecom to continue mobile services operations in Punjab

om Regulatory Authority of india (Trai) has directed Videocon Telecom to continue its mobile services operations in Punjab and maintain quality of service till the time its licence is operational or valid, rejecting the telco’s decision to shut services from February 15.

In a notice published on its website on Tuesday, Trai has also asked Videocon, which runs the Punjab services under Quadrant Televentures (QTL), to provide a compliance report within two days from the day this issue was directed, which is February 14.

Videocon Telecom, among India’s smallest operators, had informed its three million subscribers in January that it will close down its operations from February 15 and had asked them to migrate to other networks. It had said that prepaid customers should exhaust their balance and subscribers being billed monthly should clear their dues before moving to other carriers, the company had then stated in its website.

The company was asked to surrender its Unified Access Service License in order to shut down its services. But in a letter to Trai dated February 8, the telco said it couldn’t as it was contunuing to offer wireline services under its current permit which was valid till September, 2017, and had informed the telecom department about its intentions to shut only its mobuile services.

It added it also could not give up its spectrum since it’s spectrum usage right is sub-judice before telecom tribunal TDSAT.