DoT seeks TDSAT nod for sharing 3G pacts with CAG

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) will seek the telecom tribunal's (TDSAT's) consent for sharing the 3G intra-circle roaming arrangements (3G ICR) between private operators with the national auditor. 

This comes after the national auditor wrote to the department, seeking details of the roaming pacts to ascertain the extent of loss to the national exchequer because of a lower 'revenue share' paid by the private operators, if any, through these arrangements. 

EThad reported on June 18 that the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) wants to assess whether the operators had deducted the 3G ICR from the total revenue while computing the total adjusted gross revenue, on which they pay a revenue share to the government. 

However, the telecom department has been reluctant to part with such information because TDSAT, while ordering operators to share business details with the DoT, had asked the department to maintain confidentiality of these details. The CAG had already criticised DoT for not charging Vodafone the 'enhanced spectrum usage fee' of Rs 187 crore the operator was liable to pay because of the extra spectrum available to it through 3G ICR. 

Also, it asked telecom department to charge the operator Rs 549 crore for the 'increased quantity' of 3G spectrum used by it, based on the market price of 3G and the tenure for which Vodafone used the additional spectrum.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/telecom-news/item/2900-dot-seeks-tdsat-nod-for-sharing-3g-pacts-with-cag.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/telecom-news/item/2900-dot-seeks-tdsat-nod-for-sharing-3g-pacts-with-cag.html