Videocon group has decided to scale down its telecom operations in three circles out of the six it was operating in. The operator, Datacom, now has subscribers only in Gujarat, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, according to the latest data from the telecom regulator.
In the spectrum auctions held in last November, Videocon had reclaimed licences in six circles for Rs 2,222 crore. But now, its operations in the northern belt — Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West and Bihar — are all but shut. These circles show zero subscribers in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)’s data.
The operator has 2.28 million subscribers in three circles. Most of its subscribers are in Haryana.
Arvind Bali, chief executive of the telecom business of the company, said its operations in the three northern circles had always been a non-starter. “We have not yet launched commercial operations in them. And, the subscribers we had in these circles have been friendly subscribers — our employees and trade partners.” Bali added the company was still working on its strategy for these circles.