DoT raps Bharti Airtel, BSNL
DoT has issued showcause notice to the operators alleging violation of subscriber verification norm.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Department of Telecom has issued show cause notices to two operators - Bharti Airtel and state-run BSNL - alleging violation of subscriber verification norm, a mandatory license condition.
The licensor in a letter to Bharti earlier this month said that in Andhra Pradesh circle, during a sample check by the vigilance cell of DoT in April, it was noticed that out of 1750 samples taken, only 878 forms were found with correct documents.
It further said, it appears that the licensee company has failed to comply with the license condition and the extent instruction on the subject.
"Accordingly the licensee company is hereby required to show cause within 15 days of the issue of this notice as to why necessary action, including imposition of penalty shall not be taken against the company for the violation", it said.
When contacted, Bharti Airtel said it is still waiting for details of this audit from the government and has complied with the directives on verification.
"We are still awaiting details from the Government on this audit for us to evaluate and take any action if necessary. We would like to reiterate that Bharti Airtel has completed the process and complied with the directives from DoT on verification of its subscriber base."
DoT in its letter to BSNL has said that subscriber verification norms have not been followed by it in the Chennai Metro service area.
As per the terms of license, BSNL is obliged to ensure adequate verification of each and every subscriber before enrolling, the letter said.
As part of the sample check carried out by VTM cell of DoT, it was noticed that out of 237 samples, only 229 were found to be correct in the Chennai Metro area.
BSNL has also been showcaused by DoT seeking explanations as to why it should not be penalised.
As part of the security drive, DoT had put March 31 as the deadline for 100 per cent subscriber verification and has put a penalty of Rs 1000 per user in case of violation.
The licensor in a letter to Bharti earlier this month said that in Andhra Pradesh circle, during a sample check by the vigilance cell of DoT in April, it was noticed that out of 1750 samples taken, only 878 forms were found with correct documents.
It further said, it appears that the licensee company has failed to comply with the license condition and the extent instruction on the subject.
"Accordingly the licensee company is hereby required to show cause within 15 days of the issue of this notice as to why necessary action, including imposition of penalty shall not be taken against the company for the violation", it said.
When contacted, Bharti Airtel said it is still waiting for details of this audit from the government and has complied with the directives on verification.
"We are still awaiting details from the Government on this audit for us to evaluate and take any action if necessary. We would like to reiterate that Bharti Airtel has completed the process and complied with the directives from DoT on verification of its subscriber base."
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DoT in its letter to BSNL has said that subscriber verification norms have not been followed by it in the Chennai Metro service area.
As per the terms of license, BSNL is obliged to ensure adequate verification of each and every subscriber before enrolling, the letter said.
As part of the sample check carried out by VTM cell of DoT, it was noticed that out of 237 samples, only 229 were found to be correct in the Chennai Metro area.
BSNL has also been showcaused by DoT seeking explanations as to why it should not be penalised.
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As part of the security drive, DoT had put March 31 as the deadline for 100 per cent subscriber verification and has put a penalty of Rs 1000 per user in case of violation.
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