Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL), which operates under the brand name MTS, has announced that it will be participating in the spectrum auction scheduled next month. In the meantime MTS will be closing its operations in 10 service areas after a 30 day period.
Vsevolod Rozanov, president and chief executive officer, Sistema Shyam TeleServices said, “I would like to confirm our intention to participate in the upcoming spectrum auctions in March 2013. The go forward plan includes continuing with the company’s focus on its data centric-voice enabled strategy in select circles.”
MTS will be shutting down its operations in the following circles – Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, North East and Punjab. It has started the process of informing its users to avoid any inconvenience. The customers have been gives a 30 day window in which they can either switch to a different telecom operator as well as exhaust their balance with MTS.
The MTS operation shut down in 10 circles will impact more than 22 lakh customers. The supreme court in an order on February 15, 2013 has asked telecom companies to close their operations if their licenses were cancelled or they were not able to win or participate in November 2012 spectrum auction. MTS has stated that the order has not impacted its business, and it is still waiting for an order from the apex court on the matter.
Source: Times of India