The Short Messaging Service (SMS) link between Aircel and Airtel, two of Tamil Nadu's largest service providers was restored past Wednesday midnight following a Supreme Court directive.
The two networks have been entangled in a legal battle over the settlement of the inter-connectivity usage charge for SMS. Airtel has been demanding a fee of 10 paise from Aircel for every SMS terminating in its network. Aircel has challenged this at the Supreme Court.
Since November 9, 2012, Airtel blocked Aircel's SMS link with it accusing the latter of spamming its network with free SMSes leading to a drop in its quality of service. Supreme Court on Wednesday posted the case for further hearing later but ordered the immediate restoration of SMS connection between both the networks.
Several subscribers of the two networks have been severely discomforted in the past month because of the loss of SMS service.
Together, Aircel and Airtel accounts for more than half of the six-crore-plus mobile subscription base in Tamil Nadu.
