By R. Jai Krishna
NEW DELHI--Telenor ASA (TEL.OS) Monday asked its 5.6 million
customers in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and West Bengal
state to switch to other telecom operators, as the Norwegian
telecom company will stop operations in the two service areas next
month.
Telenor, which provides mobile-phone services under the Uninor
brand, has asked its users to opt for mobile number
portability.
Mobile number portability is a technology that allows phone
users to change their service providers while retaining their phone
numbers.
India's Supreme Court earlier this year revoked more than 100
telecom licenses, including all of Telenor's local joint venture,
citing irregularities in their allotment in 2008.
The court ordered the government to sell the bandwidth vacated
by these companies through auctions, and allowed the affected
companies to operate until Jan. 18 under the cancelled
licenses.
Telenor later ended its joint venture with Indian partner
Unitech Ltd. (507878.BY). Under the agreement, the joint venture's
assets were transferred to a new company formed by Telenor.
In an auction held last month, Telenor's new unit--Telewings
Communications Ltd.--won bandwidth in six of the country's 22
telecom service areas. It didn't get bandwidth in Kolkata and West
Bengal, where it provides services under the cancelled
licenses.
Write to R. Jai Krishna at krishna.jai@dowjones.com
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