The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday directed Etisalat DB and S Tel, which have announced closure of their operations, to comply with guidelines and continue providing services till the licences are operational.
The telecom regulator has also asked the two operators to furnish it with the compliance report within three days.
“...comply with all the provisions of the unified access service licence, ensure connectivity of service to its subscribers and maintain the quality of service till licence is operational,” TRAI said in its directions issued to both companies separately.
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Etisalat DB and S Tel had informed the Department of Telecom in March about closure of their business in India following the Supreme Court order.
The apex court in February had ordered cancellation of 122 licences, including that of Etisalat DB and S Tel, with effect from four months after the judgement.
While Etisalat DB said it does not intend to continue its operations after March 31, S Tel said its network infrastructure service providers had disconnected company's network.
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MITS, a mobile number portability service provider, informed TRAI on March 14 that S Tel had disconnected its link with the MNP clearing house from February 27, which is hampering call completion and number portability of S Tel's customers.
As per the licence conditions, telecom companies should ensure continuity of services to customers unless the licence is terminated or suspended by the licensor (government) for any reason whatsoever, the telecom regulator said.
The telecom regulator further said a company could surrender the licence by giving a notice of at least 60 calendar days in advance and in that case it should also notify its customers about withdrawal of service by sending a 30-day calendar notice to all of them.
As per the intimation sent to DoT by both companies, the 60-day period of S Tel and EDB ended in the second and third week of May, respectively. — PTI