NEW DELHI, India—Indian GSM players this week renewed their attempts to stall the rollout of CDMA services—under the name of “limited mobility” wireless local loop (WLL)—by fixed service providers, by approaching courts to quash the government decision.
The Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have already ruled in favor of basic service providers. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court began hearing a writ filled by GSM players challenging the TDSAT ruling but refused to grant a stay.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has also written to TRAI asking the regulator not to allow WLL operators to offer short message service (SMS) on their networks. This is in response to regulators’ permission sought by Tata Teleservices, a basic services operator, to offer SMS to its limited mobility subscribers.
Leading basic service providers like Reliance—in which U.S.-based Qualcomm recently invested US$200 million—and Tata Teleservices have announced plans for large-scale rollouts using CDMA 1x in several telecom circles in the country. GSM players are alarmed over these moves, as CDMA, with lower tariffs and marginally higher monthly rentals, would offer direct competition to them.
