NEW DELHI: The telecom ministry has issued a showcause notice to Idea Cellular for the Karnataka circle and Spice for the Andhra Pradesh circle for cancellation of licences on account of a delay in network rollout. "Yes, they have been issued (notices). Idea Cellular for Karnataka and Spice for Andhra Pradesh have been issued showcause notice for cancellation of license on account of delayed roll-out obligations," telecom secretary R Chandrasekhar said.
In 2008, Idea bought Spice, but has not yet received approval from DoT to go ahead with the merger. The notices have been sent recently. The companies have been given 60 days to respond, he said. Idea and Spice Telecom had procured these licences in January, 2008, under the regime of former telecom minister A Raja, who has been arrested on charges of irregularities in distribution of 122 new licences with 2G spectrum.
Earlier, the government collected approximately Rs 300 crore as liquidated damages from new operators, including Idea and Spice, over their failure to roll-out their networks as per the licence agreement. After collecting the penalties, notices are now being sent for cancellation of licences. Telecom regulator Trai had also recommended the cancellation of licences of leading mobile operators Idea Cellular and Spice in five states for their failure to roll out services within the stipulated time. However, Aditya Birla group firm Idea had earlier said that it has not breached the licence agreement. Idea officials said they are yet to receive any showcause notice
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