It was quite a relief for mobile phone service provider, Vodafone Essar, when the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on Thursday stayed a notice issued by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to disconnect Vodafone from its network.  

The government-operated, BSNL issued the notice to disconnect Vodafone from its network, alleging that Vodafone was illegally routing international calls through its (BSNL’s) local network, bypassing the BSNL network, which caused revenue loss to the PSU.

The Vodafone Essar Gujarat Ltd filed a petition with TDSAT, after over interconnection payment charges erupted between BSNL and Vodafone. The Vodafone Essar went to TDSAT after it received a notice from BSNL, in which BSNL notified to disconnect Vodafone’s Points of Interconnections (POI) from its network over dispute on payments of ADC charges. The two parties were disputing over the payment of an amount of Rs 3.54 crore. BSNL was demanding the payment and Vodafone was opposing it.

Accepting the Vodafone’s petition, the TDSAT stayed the disconnection notice issued by BSNL to Vodaphone on March 5, 2009, for wrongly routing international calls via local network of BSNL. Ordering a stay on the disconnection notice issued by BSNL, the TDSAT bench headed by Justice Arun Kumar said, "...operation of the impugned notice dated 05.03.2009 is stayed.”

Now, TDSAT has asked BSNL to file its reply within 3 weeks, and the telecom tribunal has directed Vodafone to file a rejoinder over that within two weeks thereafter if the company wanted. The tribunal has notified to take up the matter on May 11 for further directions.