\n\nIs there a feeling of being wronged after all these years that licenses were cancelled unnecessarily, after the judgement?<\/strong>
\nGiven that SSTL was the only applicant for CDMA spectrum, we have insisted right since the license cancellation judgement that there is no wrong doing on part of SSTL. The recent judgement reiterates that, and we feel happy that finally the truth prevailed.
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\nThe company's whole operations were affected, losses taken and investments written off. Could this have been avoided? Do you think the SC took its decision without considering all factors?<\/strong>
\nThis could have been avoided altogether had the government taken stronger stance at the court during the initial hearing. We were accused that we should have been doing more detailed due diligence. However, there is no point in doing the due diligence of a license issued by the government if you followed due process (which we did). We as a foreign investor rely on the government acts and laws. I am absolutely confident that the decision was made without considering details and especially the nature of telecom business which requires significant capital investments before any profit is made. Investments made by us and other operators were not taken into account at all. Our drive to be OIBDA positive was stopped artificially and we were not able to get back on track.
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\nNow that no criminality or scam has been established by the CBI Court, what is the recourse that Sistema can take to seek relief from the Indian government?<\/strong>
\nSistema has always tried to find an amicable solution with the Government of India. The company has never resorted to the BIT mechanism to resolve problems related to its telecom business in India. Indian courts are currently reviewing two legal cases related to SSTL's spectrum – one on spectrum contiguity and the other on the one-time spectrum charge for the period from cancellation of SSTL licences in 2012 till the auction. We have the right to resort to the BIT mechanism, but our final decision will depend on the outcome of these two proceedings.
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<\/strong>
Do these developments put India in a poor light for doing business? Your views.<\/strong>
\nLack of confidence in regulatory framework and regulator's inconsistency many times was mentioned as the key impediment for foreign investments into the country. The developments around 2G spectrum case is the most vivid example of that. I know that many investors even from other sectors were watching the situation very carefully and either did not enter the market\/ put in later investments or exited India.
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\nDo you feel a lot of your personal time and effort that had gone into negotiating with the Indian government and then rebuilding the India business could have been avoided? And now, they have gone to waste?<\/strong>
\nI firmly believe that any experience the human being gets is of some use and importance. We learned a lot during that crisis and became stronger managers and a stronger team. So, I do not think it has gone to waste. However, indeed amount of time spent on seeking the ways of amicable solution and explaining the absence of any guilt on our side could have been used for more productive activity.
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