India's Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) gave a split verdict on a petition by mobile operators seeking to overturn a government order that bans them from forming pacts to offer 3G services outside their licensed zones, delaying a resolution to a six-month dispute, reports Reuters. One of the two judges on the tribunal, who voted in favour of the carriers, said the government may send out fresh notices ordering a halt to the alliances, which mobile operators can appeal at a higher court, according to lawyers on the case. The tribunal's decision affects Bharti airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, which have effectively extended their 3G services to most parts of the country thanks to mutual roaming agreements. The government will take a legal view before deciding on its next move, said Telecoms Secretary R Chandrashekhar. Airtel, Vodafone and Idea did not immediately comment. The companies previously said their roaming pacts complied with telecommunications licensing rules. The carriers are allowed to continue their services until the government dispatches a new order, said a lawyer.
