\nLoop, the telecom operator run by the Dubai-based Khaitan family, will cease to exist from November end, and efforts of the promoter to sell it to Bharti Airtel have been unsuccessful. Regulatory hurdles have brought the deal to a standstill, making the future uncertain for Loop\u2019s 28 lakh customers.
\nSources said Loop has not paid interconnect usage charges and mobile termination charges to other operators for completing its calls on their networks. The dues, which run into crores of rupees, have forced the operators shut their network to Loop\u2019s subscribers, who are now helpless. While making calls, Loop customers get this message after failing to connect, \u201cThis call cannot be completed due to non-payment of inter-connect charges by Loop Telecom. Please contact your service provider.\u201d
\nVodafone confirmed that it has taken action against Loop Telecom. \u201cIncoming calls from Loop Mobile are temporarily restricted due to non-payment of interconnect dues by Loop Mobile,\u201d a spokesperson for Vodafone India said. The company is understood to have sent a notice to the promoters of Loop for recovery of its dues.
\nIdea Cellular, the country\u2019s third-biggest operator, is understood to have discontinued messaging (SMS) services to Loop\u2019s customers. The company, which is still allowing calling services, is understood to have filed a case in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Loop for recovery of its dues. State-run MTNL is also understood to have discontinued its services, though there was no official confirmation. Efforts to contact Loop\u2019s management were not successful. Bharti Airtel, however, is still providing connection on its network to Loop\u2019s subscribers, perhaps due to its pending deal with the company.
\nAirtel, which had announced a Rs 700 crore deal to acquire the customers and telecom assets of Loop, has been left in the lurch with regulator Trai as well as the Department of Telecom (DoT) raising objection to the transaction, mainly asking for a choice being given to Loop\u2019s subscribers to move out to an operator of their liking through mobile number portability (MNP).
\nWhile the deal remains embroiled in regulatory hurdles, Vodafone has been making attempts to poach Loop\u2019s customers by offering attractive schemes. Loop\u2019s customers say they have been \u201cbombarded\u201d by calls from Vodafone\u2019s sales teams that have been asking them to port out.
\nVodafone\u2019s efforts seem to be paying off. According to figures accessed by TOI from the Number Portability Gateway, as many as 43% of Loop\u2019s subscribers, who have ported out since January, have gone to Vodafone. So, out of the 2.53 lakh subscribers who opted to change telecom service providers through MNP, 1.1 lakh are now in Vodafone\u2019s fold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"