The government has asked the Tatas why a penalty of Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million) should not be slapped on them for illegally offering 'Push-to-Talk' service, which could have led to breach of national security.
The Department of Telecom has given a month's period to the Tatas to explain why the penalty should not be levied for violating the ISP licence conditions, under which the company was offering PTT services, which is otherwise a part of voice telephone licence.
When contacted, a Tata spokesperson said: "We are yet to receive the notice."
DoT has said the frequency used by the Tata ISP licence was originally allotted to the company for Unified Access Service and this led to violation of the licence terms and conditions.
According to one of DoT's communication to the company, violation of numbering plan in the PTT service was a deliberate attempt to misguide security agencies.
Although the Tatas have stopped offering PTT services, the government has sought explanation for violation of licence conditions.
Tata Teleservices had earlier defended the service saying they were offering it under the ISP.
DoT had sought clarifications from the private operator on various issues, including numbering plan followed by them while offering PTT and their compliance to Interconnect User Charge, which includes payment of levies like Access Deficit Charge for STD calls.
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