DoT gets 500 applications

The frenzy over telecom licences came to an end on Monday with the tally touching the 500-mark as a number of biggies including AT&T, Hindujas, DLF, Sterlite and Videocon jumped into the fray to tap the world's fastest growing cellular market.

The figure may go beyond 500 as the Department of Telecom (DoT) is still counting the applications received from various companies as the deadline expired today. Nearly 200 applications are estimated to have been submitted today.

A senior DoT official termed the rush of applications as "sheer madness" and the Department would start scrutinising these documents soon. The DoT would screen the applicants once a committee appointed by Communications Minister A Raja comes up with fresh guidelines detailing the minimum net worth, ownership and other crucial aspects of the applicants.

Raja has already said that a select number of applicants would be selected. DoT would be following a two-stage screening process. There are allegations by GSM players' lobby COAI that many applicants are front companies of existing players who are trying to circumvent existing restrictions.

The companies which have sought licence include property developers Parsvnath, Unitech, Indiabulls Real Estate, Omaxe and DLF. Besides, Allianz Infratech, Shyam Telecom, HFCL, BPL, Cheetah, DataCom, Stel, Swan Telecom, Tulip, JSW Steel and Bycell also applied. Ispat Industries, Sify, Moser Baer and Dalmia Group are also believed to have put in applications.

US firm AT&T tied up with diversified group Mahindras and Hinduja Group applied through its subsidiary HTMT Telecom.

Most of the players have sought licences for all the 22 circles in the country. India is the world's fastest growing telecom market and existing players are adding more than eight million subscribers every month.