NEW DELHI: India’s government has told the Indian unit of British mobile phone giant Vodafone that its licences for three big cities cannot be extended and it will have to bid again, the company said yesterday.
The government has also refused to extend the licences of India’s mobile carrier Bharti Airtel, the sector leader by subscribers, in the same three lucrative urban centres, according to local media.
“Vodafone is deeply disappointed with the summary rejection of its request for extension of licenses in the Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata service areas,” the company said in an emailed statement.
There was no immediate comment from Bharti.
The refusal to extend the licences is one of a raft of regulatory issues faced by mobile operators in the world’s second-largest cellular market by subscribers after China.
Vodafone, the second largest carrier, and Bharti, have been at war with the Congress-led government over its demand that they bid again for spectrum in the three cities where they have been operating for nearly two decades.
Their licences are due to expire in November 2014.
“Unless you participate in auctions and get your bid confirmed, you would not be entitled to a a wireless licence,” the telecom ministry told Vodafone, according to local media. AFP
