7-member team to look into WLL issues

In a bid to resolve the row between cellular and basic players, Communication and IT Minister Arun Shourie constituted on Friday a 7-member committee including Reliance's Mukesh Ambani and Bharti's Sunil Mittal to look into various issues relating to WLL (limited mobile) services.

The committee comprising industry stalwarts and telecom commission chairman Vinod Vaish would go into three main issues, one of which is how to ensure that the mobility under WLL services remain limited as per the licence, an issue on which the two segments in telecom sector have been clashing for the last two years.

The group would also look into the issue of "level playing field" to see if it was uneven for one type of service providers and also identify competitive safeguards required in the industry for future.

"The group will finish its work in two weeks and we are meeting again on March 1 to take stock of the situation. They will decide by Tuesday the issues which need to be deliberated," Shourie told reporters after a 7-hour meeting.

Terming the meeting as historical, Ambani said, "I am optimistic that the sector will not only help add huge value to Indian public but also help India find a place in the world."

Stating that the group had representatives from public and private sector as well as government officials, Ambani expressed hope that the "partnership will deliver value."    

Other members of the goup are Rajeev Chandrasekhar (BPL), Prithipal Singh (BSNL), S Ramakrishnan (Tata Teleservices) and Prakash Bajpai (Reliance).

With regard to the contentious issue of roaming on WLL phones, as advertised by Reliance, Ambani said, "Reliance is committed to stick to licence conditions. Our services are limited mobility and we will have multiple registration system."

Ambani said roaming services were different from MRS.

Sunil Mittal, however, refused to comment on this, saying "the group will meet and consider all possibilities. We will like to understand the system as explained by Ambani and then take a decision."