India’s leading GSM Mobile Service Operator Vodafone Essar has applied for Internet service provider and National Long Distance Licenses and has approached the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for approval.
The company officials confirmed that the operator has applied for these two licences and aims to become a full-fledged communication services provider in the country.FIPB, on June 19, may take up the proposal, sources said.
If Vodafone Essar, in which the UK-based mobile firm Vodafone holds majority stake, gets the national long distance license (NLD) it will help the company save operating expenses for carrying STD traffic, instead of hiring other mobile company’s network for the purpose.
All the top mobile operators like Reliance Communications, Bharti, BSNL and MTNL have their own NLD infrastructure.
The company is also planning to enter the internet service segment in which all other major mobile operators like BSNL, Reliance Communications and MTNL has a presence.
Duane June 18, 2009 at 8:10 am
With VODA entering into the STD segment & routing its calls over its own network (instead of AIRTEL) this could bring about STD calls @ 50p/lower.
Biswas June 17, 2009 at 5:07 pm
well Vodafone has to be well-present over India like India as a ISP. BSNL , Airtel, R-Comm n Tata are its competitors !