|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Friday, 21 November 2003 |
 |
|
 |
News | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
by Indeewara Thilakarathne Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd has filed a writ application in the Court of Appeal against the Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission seeking writs of Certiorari, Prohibition and Mandamus. In this application, Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd has cited Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and its Director General Themiya L.B. Hurulle. The petitioner states that on or about February 11, 1993 the predecessor of the petitioner, OTC Australia (PVT) Ltd was issued a licence by the first respondent for seven years and that the petitioner operates telecommunication network locally and internationally. On or about October 31,2002, OTC Australia which hitherto enjoyed the large number of shares in the petitioner's company, transferred its entire shareholding to the Sri Lanka Telecom. After the said transfer, the new board of directors decided to ensure islandwide coverage and to offer its subscribers a superior service at affordable rates and to migrate TDMA platform to GSM platform at an approximate cost of Rs 20 billion. According to the new transfer, the petitioner launched its GSM network on November 11, 2003. However by a hand-delivered document dated November 14, 2003 the first respondent informed the petitioner that it has violated Section 5 (K) of the Sri Lanka Telecommunication Act as amended and directed the petitioner to suspend all its promotional activities offering connections to the new GSM network with 11 minute outgoing free and total incoming free during the test launch of the GSM network. The first respondent had also directed the petitioner to publish a press release in terms of the guideline stipulated in the said letter with prior approval to be obtained before November 17, 2003. The petitioner submits that the directive by the first respondent is ultravires and has no force of law. The petitioner prays that notices may be issued on the respondents and to grant interim relief suspending the operation of the purported determination. The petitioner also prays for writs of Certiorari to quash the determination and also to issue a writ of Prohibition restraining the respondents from interfering with the Test programme launched by the petitioner until December 31, 2003 and a Writ of Mandamus compelling the respondents to commence and conduct an inquiry into the respondents failure to allocate frequencies sought by the petitioner. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
