The Indian government asked the country's top court whether wireless carriers whose licenses will be revoked, including Sistema's operator in that country, can operate until a March auction of frequencies, a senior government official with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the revocation of 122 permits, saying a 2008 government grant process was flawed. The order affected eight carriers, including the Indian units of Norway's Telenor and Russia's Sistema as well as India's Idea Cellular.
An extension would allow Sistema's Indian unit to continue operations beyond Jan. 18 in 21 zones, as it did not participate in the earlier auction. It would also allow Telenor to continue to provide services in Mumbai.
(Reuters)
