BSNL to be third party in tarrifs dispute

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has been made a third party in the dispute between cellular operators and the telecom regulator on differential tariffs, according to a notice issued to the state-owned telecom company.

The notice issued by TRAI to BSNL comes close on the heels of the Telecom Disputes Settlement And Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) rejecting the Cellular Operators' Association of India's (COAI) request for stay on the regulator's order on differential tariffs.

TDSAT chairman N Santosh Hegde, however, admitted the COAI's plea that BSNL be made party to the dispute.

The tribunal directed BSNL officials to be present at the next hearing on March 22. COAI said if they implemented TRAI's order on differential tariffs the charges would go up and the customers would suffer.

UNI RT SD KN1952