Decks cleared for Verizon & Idea's long distance services

NEW DELHI: Idea Cellular and US-based wireless operator Verizon will soon be provided with letters of intent (LoI) for launching long distance services. This comes as DoT is learnt to have cleared Verizon’s application for launching both national and international long distance (NLD & ILD) and has also approved Idea Cellular’s proposal to launch ILD services.

(Idea Cellular already holds an NLD licence). The licences to both Idea and Verizon will be issued to these companies after telecom minister A Raja’s approval.

India’s Videocon Group is Verizon’s JV partner for its long distance foray into India. So far, 13 companies have been issued ILD licences while about 19 companies have been bagged NLD licence.

These include, i2i Enterprises, AT&T Global Network, Hutchison Essar (now Vodafone Essar), Sify Communications, Dishnet Wireless, BT Telecom India and Tulip IT Services, Spice among others. The business generated by the long distance segment in India is estimated to be worth over Rs 10,000 crore annually.