Airtel challenges DoT entry fee

Bharti Airtel has criticised the Department of Telecommunication’s (DoT’s) plan to levy a fee for merging the operations it acquired from Qualcomm, claiming that the regulator is attempting to make the operator pay the entry fee twice. The Economic Times writes that the DoT is planning to charge Airtel INR4.36 billion (USD71.48 million) to merge the internet service provider (ISP) licences of its Airtel Broadband Services unit (originally established as Wireless Business Services by Qualcomm) with its own universal access service licences (UASLs) for four circles, namely Haryana, Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala. According to Airtel the fee cannot be applied as it already holds UASL licences for the circles in question.