Pionee – Prez Reference on 2G to meet ‘review plea’ end: Prashant
Prez Reference on 2G to meet ‘review plea’ end: Prashant
Tuesday, 05 June 2012 00:19
Pioneer News Service | New Delh
The Government’s attempt to question the auction of 2G spectrum through a Presidential Reference has come under cloud with the petitioner in the case accusing the Centre of “forum shopping”.
In its response to the reference heard by a five-judge Constitution bench in Supreme Court, the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) has leveled the charge against Centre of pleading the “same” grounds which failed to convince a two-judge bench that heard the review petition. Upset over the court’s refusal to entertain the said grounds, the Centre withdrew its review plea on May 10.
Raising a preliminary objection against entertaining of the Presidential Reference, CPIL counsel Prashant Bhushan said, “Government has indulged in forum shopping by filing a Presidential reference raising the same issues as were raised in… Continue reading
EGoM to meet on June 5 for fixing spectrum price
PTI
New Delhi, May 28, 2012
An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, will meet on June 5 to decide on the base price for the much-awaited auction of telecom spectrum.
“The EGoM will meet on June 5,” department of telecom secretary R Chandrashekhar told reporters in New
The Telecom Commission (TC), which met here last week, left the decision on the high-powered ministerial panel of fixing the price of spectrum to be auctioned, as necessitated by the cancellation of 122 2G licences by the Supreme Court.
It has asked sectoral regulator Trai to conduct an analysis of the impact of spectrum price on tariff if it is passed on and in case it is absorbed, then what is the effect on companies’ businesses, viability and return on investment.
The detailed analysis, along with Trai recommendations, would be presented to… Continue reading
EGoM to decide 2G base price in June
The highest decision-making body in the telecom department, the Telecom Commission (TC), on Saturday left it to the empowered group of ministers (EGoM) headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to take a decision on the base price for the auction of 2G spectrum.
All major telecom players, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Reliance and Tata, were against the high base price recommended by telecom regulator Trai. The EGoM is expected to meet early in June to take decisions on the 2G spectrum auction, necessitated due to the Supreme Court cancelling 122 licences issued by former communications minister A. Raja in 2008. The apex court had directed Trai to frame new auction rules and the government to complete the spectrum sale by August 31.
The TC has asked Trai to submit before the EGoM an analysis of the impact of the proposed spectrum pricing on the industry.
“The TC took note… Continue reading
2G scam | Swamy will file complaint in Aircel-Maxis deal
New Delhi: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Saturday told a Delhi court hearing the 2G spectrum case that he will file a private complaint in the case relating to Aircel-Maxis deal. He told Special CBI Judge O P Saini that the CBI is investigating the Aircel-Maxis deal but he wants to file an additional complaint in the case over which he had earlier levelled allegations against home minister P Chidambaram.
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy
CBI is probing the alleged role of former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in the Aircel-Maxis deal.
The court posted hearing in the case for 25 August. Swamy had earlier told the Supreme Court, which is hearing the case, that the CBI probe into the Aircel-Maxis deal was focused only on Maran’s role in arm-twisting Aircel’s owner to sell his stake to the Malaysian firm Maxis.
“My matter is partially different from… Continue reading
2G spectrum auction: CDMA lobby asks Kapil Sibal to ignore pricing panel report
New Delhi: The industry body of CDMA operators has asked telecom minister Kapil Sibal to ignore suggestions made by JS Deepak, the government-appointed auction overseer, specific to telcos using dual-technology spectrum.
Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India or Auspi, that represents companies like Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Sistema Shyam, has written to Sibal that targeting dual-technology operators to pay up for spectrum at a market-determined price would be ‘illegal and contrary to the policies of the level-playing field’ in a communication to the minister last week, seen by ET.
Auspi said that dual-technology mobile permits were not cancelled by the Supreme Court, and thus the original price they paid of 1,659 crore, as discovered in an airwave auction in 2001 was fair. On February 2, the Indian apex court rolled back 122 licences awarded in the controversial 2008 allocations.
The lobby said the matter was sub judice… Continue reading
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