In continuation of the subscriber verification issue, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) reportedly plans to challenge the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)’s order that the operators under the scanner pay 25 per cent of the penalty imposed by DoT in this regard.

The operators under the scanner include Dishnet Wireless, Vodafone India, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Telecom.

These operators face a fine as they were unable to carry out the process of re-verifying prepaid connections in the Assam and North East circles.

Prior to this, the Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cell of DoT had imposed a penalty on the operators in this context.

The operators had challenged this penalty and had approached TDSAT to waive off the same. The operators are not in favor of undertaking re-verification of their entire pre-paid subscriber base and have termed the circular issued by government as one issued “in a casual manner".

According to them, DoT extended the directive issued in the circle of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to Assam and North East Service Areas. Since, these guidelines were initially formulated by keeping in mind the peculiar conditions existing in J&K, the same cannot be applicable to the areas of North East. Thus, a proper modification of this directive should be done before issuing it.

The operators believe that the entire process may result into a loss of around 20 million subscribers in the northeastern region.

This is the second time this issue has come into focus. In 2011, DoT had issued a directive to operators in the Assam and northeastern region to conduct re-verification of their existing prepaid subscriber base.

The department’s decision came over several apprehensions raised by the security establishments that prepaid connections, which can be easily procured, are used by militants for subversive activities in these areas.