Exuding confidence and optimism the telecom minister Kapil Sibal in an interview with a TV news channel allayed apprehensions about the uncertainty in telecom industry following the cancellation of 122 spectrum licences by the Supreme Court.

Responding to a question Sibal said that he had discussed the post-cancellation scenario with all the operators one by one and they all reposed faith in Indian market. They all should be India, he said

After the apex court verdict operators like STel and Etisalat have decided to wind up operations in India.

He was speaking to the Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express Shekhar Gupta for the Walk the Talk programme on NDTV 24x7. He said that he expeted a turn -around in next six months.

“All players should be in India. More players should come to India. The market has enormous depth. In fact, I have had talks, one to one, with each of them. Everybody believes in the Indian market”, he said.

Sibal said that everybody believes in the future of telecom in India, in spite of whatever is happening. And, I am sure that, in the next six months or so, you will see a turnaround.

Sibal told the channel that he would like to see “more competition, less prices, and more benefits to the consumer” in the telecom market.

Sibal said he would favour a scenario where the government has the freedom of choice to decide on policy matters relating to allocation of natural resources. He said this while commenting on the Presidential reference that the UPA government has made to the Supreme Court on its February order cancelling the licences,

He said that the way forward is by and large auction. But still there should be enough freedom, because sometimes, in certain circumstances, auction is not the best way forward.