2G spectrum issue: Uninor employees seek meetings with PM, telecom minister

Telecom Lead India: In order to pressurize the Indian
government, employees of telecom firm Uninor are seeking meetings with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal to request that their
employer be allowed to continue operations.

 

More than 600 Uninor employees and their families from
Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh are likely to assemble at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

 

On February 2, the Supreme Court had cancelled 122
telecom licences, including 22 of Uninor, a joint venture between Telenor of Norway and domestic realty player Unitech.

 

“We will be asking the Government to ensure that we
are allowed to keep the operations running till such time that our company is
able to participate in the new 2G auctions,” Uninor employees said in a
letter.

 

The letter further reads, “This prayer (to be
submitted to Singh and Sibal) has been signed by Uninor employees from across
India and many more will sign up at the venue tomorrow.”

Following the dismissal of its review petition by the apex court, Uninor has
moved a curative petition.

While the apex court had asked the government to conduct the auction for 2G
spectrum freed from cancellation of 122 licenses within four months, Department
of Telecom has expressed its inability to complete the process within that timeline.
Instead, it has sought 400 days to complete the process.

 

Uninor to finalize partner before 2G spectrum auctions in
Indian telecom market

 

Norwegian firm Telenor, which is the majority shareholder
in the joint venture, has said it remains committed to India and will
participate in the proposed auction. The teleco is likely to rope in a new
strategic partner for its operations – Uninor Wireless – in India, ahead of the
2G spectrum auction. The Norwegian telecom firm is in talks with several
companies to replace Unitech as Uninor’s equity partner as its partnership with
the real estate major has hit a roadblock.

 

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