The government will likely send a notice on Friday to telecom operators asking them to stop providing third-generation (3G) mobile data services through roaming pacts outside their licensed zones with immediate effect, reports said citing Telecommunications Secretary R Chandrashekhar.
Carriers such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular currently provide 3G services beyond their licensed zones through pacts between themselves.
The government sold 3G airwaves in an auction in 2010 that attracted much higher bids than expected, and no single company managed to get spectrum in all of the country's 22 zones.