Expectedly Big 3 of GSM opt for 3G strategic intra-circle roaming alliance

[ravi_patent 28]

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/cnbc-tv18-comments/bharti-vodafone-idea-may-form-strategic-alliance-for-3g_496911.html

If you are a Vodafone customer and live in an area where Vodafone has not received 3G spectrum, don’t fret. You may still be able to receive 3G services if Bharti Airtel or Idea have won spectrum in the area, without changing your service provider, reports CNBC-TV18’s Kritika Saxena quoting sources.

It is learnt that the three players are in talks for a strategic alliance for rolling out 3G services pan India. Sources add that the 3G deal between all the three telecom companies is likely to come through by mid-November, while the tripartite agreement will be based on revenue sharing model.

If the alliance is finalised then it will cater to 33 circles, sources say. Bharti Airtel won 13 circles, Idea obtained 11 circles and Vodafone got 9 circles in the bidding.

Though Bharti CFO confirmed that they are in talks to form alliance, he refused to comments on the names of telecom companies yet.

Meanwhile, Vodafone also said that they are in talks with quality players for a tie up and will make announcement in due course of time.

Idea too added that they are talking with leading telcos for 3G tie-up.

[Karthik R 246]

Airtel have not won the 3G spectrum in Kerala through the concluded auctions and still had send a SMS yesterday stating - Get ready for the 3G experience with Airtel. To be launched in Kerala soon.. Now we know how. The incumbents have entered into an agreement to get a pan-India presence!

I was hoping that the Tatas - Rel - Aircel does the same but now it seems that they are forging an tie-up with State telecos, BSNL and MTNL to offer 3G services in the circles where it have not won the airwaves.

[in.raghav 3]

Good news for the customers whose operator has no 3g license in their circle. But what about the 3G tariff by the private players?

Initially the tariffs may be sky high.If 3 biggies form an alliance to share the revenue.Hard times for the customer to escape their high tariffs.

[Arun 795]

Yeah, much needed for the operators, else many will switch to the 3G provider once MNP starts. I wonder if the subscriber will have to pay anything extra when using a different provider for 3G services though.

[shashank 8]

Its really a good news

But will they share the spectrum or the network itself?

[Karthik R 246]

That is a very good question! In all likelihood they are going to share 3G spectrum only for data users, who make a insignificant part compared to vast majority of voice-alone users. And the home operator which own 3G spectrum will charge a premium when the subscriber of other network access its service, it will be like what they do while in roaming. What do you think?

[KumaarShah 143]

AFAIK, if a operator uses another operator's network to offer 3G services in a circle where they do not have 3G licence, then how will they bill for voice services or can they use the other operator's network only for 3G data? Will it not be roaming for the subscriber? Maybe all operators will remove roaming totally pan India - only then, this is possible.

I had asked RCOM about Chennai since they do not have licence here - how they will offer 3G services here?

This was the reply I got from them. But anything is possible in India. Though they did not divulge any details, they did hint at tie-ups with other operators, but then voice roaming will apply.

Lets wait and watch as things unfold....

And IMHO, competition will not allow 3G pricing to be very ultra premium. Maybe for the first few months, operators may want to make merry, but even then people will start comparing BSNL's pricing for 3G services.

[Harshal 11]

Tata is going to tie up with BSNL/MTNL for circles not won by them.

13 + 11 + 9 is still 22 only. How can it be 33? There are only 22 circles aint't it.

[parin 857]

Good for us

[Honest 836]

It will be really helpful for subscribers whose operator doesn't have the 3g spectrum in there respective areas.

[me_saket 73]

idea+airtel+vodafone,

Will miss out orrisa

[KumaarShah 143]

Tata is going to tie up with BSNL/MTNL for circles not won by them.

13 + 11 + 9 is still 22 only. How can it be 33? There are only 22 circles aint't it.

True there are only 22 circles or is it 23?

But 33 is because all 3 have been totalled up. It happens because in some circles both Airtel and Voda have got 3G licences and in some circles Airtel, Voda and Idea have won the 3G licences. In such circles, they will not have to tie up.

[sougatadc 358]

Sharing/ strategic alliance is not a new option for the operators as I've noticed.

For laying down of optical fibre network there was collaboration/alliance of Bharti-Vodafone-Tata at least in our state.

[Honest 836]

But I don't think this will happen any sooner. Firstly, all operators will start 3g services in their respective circles and after that only there could be any alliance type of thing between them. It will take a long time for this to happen.

Abhi Delhi bahut duuuuur hai bhai log.

[kesav 127]

idea+airtel+vodafone,

Will miss out orrisa

This means Orissa is the luckiest state for having true competitors(Aircel,Reliance & Stel) in the fray.

:clap:

[Karthik R 246]

Tata Docomo will be launching its 3G services in the circles where it haven't won any spectrum with mutual agreement with Aircel to provide intra circle roaming through network sharing.

[Karthik R 246]

Now TRAI seeks info on 3G roaming deals

NEW DELHI : Telecom regulator TRAI has sought information from leading service providers on their bilateral agreements for to ensure there is no violation of licence terms and conditions.

The watchdog is looking at as to how these companies are selling their 3G spectrum services under the agreement, sources in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said. Earlier, the Department of Telecom had raised doubts over 3G roaming pacts of companies that do not have pan-India 3G licences.

The pacts help them reduce cost. In July this year, in an effort to reduce cost and offer pan-India 3G services, Vodafone, Bharti Airte​l and Idea Cellular had started sharing their networks to provide seamless service to customers.

These companies had entered into a bilateral roaming agreement, both inter and intra circle, to provide 3G services to customers in circles where they did not have 3G licences.

Source : Times Of India

[garry1313 7]

TRAI has confirmed to issue show cause notice to all these operators for breach of the licence agreement...Moreover the operators will also be penalized in crores....

[csmart 472]

Telecom CEOs seek PM intervention on 3G roaming issue

Source

Amid differences between Telecom Ministry and companies on the 3G roaming pact, CEOs of top telecom firms, including Bharti Airtel [ Get Quote ] and Vodafone, have sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's [ Images ] intervention in the matter.

"We seek your most urgent intervention to ensure that contract and promises are honoured otherwise the reputation of an acclaimed, transparent auction, will be harmed irreparably," they said in a joint letter to the Prime Minister.

The letter was jointly written by Bharti Enterprises Chairman and Group CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal [ Images ], Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Vodafone Group Plc CEO Vittorio Colao.

The issue pertains to the pact among major service providers, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular [ Get Quote ], for providing 3G roaming network on a pan-India basis. Other service providers, like Tata Teleservices [ Get Quote ] and Aircel, had entered into a similar agreement to offer services in six circles.

The 3G roaming agreement among the players did not go down well with the Department of Telecom (DoT) which felt that these alliances were in violation of the terms and conditions of the third generation (3G) spectrum agreements which it signed with operators in June last year following the auction.

In their letter to the Prime Minister, the CEOs even demanded refund of investment made by the companies in the 3G auction, and later on the infrastructure.

In the letter, the CEOs said, "We also submit most respectfully that, in the event that 3G Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) is now deemed impermissible, then, it would be a clear breach of our contract and the pre-auction confirmation given by the Government.

"In that eventually, we request that our spectrum auction payments be refunded to us with interest (as) compensation for all the capital investment made by us."

It also pointed out that the licenses allotted to the companies were specifically amended in 2008 to incorporate the right to do intra-circle roaming, without any conditions.

"We are completely astonished to hear that the Government is now considering a reversal of its earlier stated position and seeking to question the legally or permissibility of 3G ICR arrangement. This is tantamount to reneging on the Government's promises made through the technology-neutral licence and the 2008 licence amendment and the Q&A confirmations provided before the 3G auction," it added.

The Law Ministry too has supported the DoT's view that such spectrum-sharing agreements among service providers are in violation of licensing norms and conditions.

[santanu@impaq 16]

This discussion is also detailed in another topic

http://www.rimweb.in/forums/topic/32663-gsm-mobile-operators-not-happy-with-cdma-evdo-high-speed-internet-service/

Intra Circle roaming is permissible under the unified access licence conditions.

Legally the operators cannot be penalized.

At the most the DOT can issue fresh guidelines specifically prohibiting intra cicrcle roaming under the pretext of national security or some other pertext.

All of this is just some new suitcase-gate.

[Honest 836]

Tata Teleservices and Aircel terminate 3G roaming deal

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is reportedly planning to take action against 3G operators for illegal roaming arrangements, Tata Teleservices and Aircel have called off their agreements.

According to reports, arrangement between two operators was operational for about 40-50 days on a pilot basis. The two companies ended the deal soon after the Government said that such arrangements were illegal.

Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular had also entered into similar roaming agreements but have not pulled back the service so far, added reports.

Courtesy : Indiainfoline

[Karthik R 246]

Cutting the line of leading telcos, the department of telecommunications (DoT) today has ordered them to immediately stop 3G services in circles where they don’t have spectrum.

Read more here

[sgiitk 32]

I think they have also asked for a refund of the 3G license fees if the babus insist onstopping the arrangements.

They are talking of a deadline tomorrow. Presumably the BSNL/MTNL will be asked to pull the plug wherever thay are involved.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

TDSAT Restrains DoT from Banning 3G Roaming Pacts of Telcos

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI)

Telecom tribunal TDSAT today restrained the government from banning 3G inter-circle roaming (ICR) pacts among service providers and directed DoT not to take any "coercive steps" against them till next date of hearing on January 3. The sectoral tribunal issued notice to the Department of Telecom, asking it to file a reply by December 31. It asked the telecom operators - Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices and Aircel - to file rejoinder over DoT' reply within three days. They also have to submit their 3G ICR agreements to TDSAT.

"Till the next date fixed (January 3), the respondent (DoT) is restrained from taking any coercive steps against petitioners (telecom companies) to enforce the impugned order dated December 23, 2011," said the TDSAT in its order. The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal also turned down the plea of DoT to restrain the operators from adding new 3G customers till the next hearing. The tribunal has directed to put the matter up for framing of issues on February 2.

TDSAT's order followed a special hearing over a batch of petitions filed by Bharti, Vodafone and Idea. The tribunal also allowed two other operators Aircel and Tata Tele to become party to the case. Yesterday, DoT had issued notices to the telecom firms saying their 3G roaming pacts are illegal and sought their response within a day. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Vodafone, submitted that the operators hold Unified Access Services Licence (UASL) which allows them to offer all types of services including voice, data and video. "There is no other licence required by any operators for providing any type of access service including any high speed data service (3G)," said Singhvi, adding that UASL also allows them to enter into roaming agreements with other operators

[Selvamuthu Kumar 0]

If it is ok with TRAI, Major Telco like Reliance should go for Intra-Circle 3g Roaming service as done by Idea Cellular with Vodafone in Tamilnadu. Please note that TN is the only state in India to have Largest Number of Engg. colleges and our students are very enthusiastic to use 3G services. Now the rates of 3g are not too much and definitely it will attract more 3g customers. Then whats the use of buying high end phones without 3g sims?