Airtel, Vodafone-Idea Fined Rs 3,050 Crore Over Reliance Jio Users Not Getting Interconnections To Make Calls

The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) has approved the imposing penalty on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone-Idea Limited (VIL) for denying interconnection to Reliance Jio, The Hindu reports.

The DCC, highest decision-making body in the Department of Telecom (DoT), has however asked the sector regulatory body Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to review the penalty of Rs 3,050 crore, given the financial stress of the sector, an official said.

TRAI had recommended a cumulative of Rs 3,050 crore on three telecom operators for allegedly denying interconnectivity to Reliance Jio. The Mukesh Ambani-led company in its complaint said that more than 75 per cent of the calls on their network failed as the others did not release enough Points of Interface (PoIs).

After a long legal battle between the three major telecos of India, the regulator said the three operators acted against public interest and also violated their licence agreement by doing so. Hence, TRAI, in its earlier recommendations to the DoT warranted the revocation of licences.

TRAI recommended penalty on Airtel and Vodafone of around Rs 1,050 crore each, and Idea Cellular would have needed to pay Rs 950 crore after considerating the inconvenience it would cost the consumers if they ripped their licences. Vodafone and Idea were separate entities at the time.