New Delhi: Telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today (March 10, 2004) virtually gave an ultimatum to Tatas-owned VSNL to provide bandwidth to ILD operators for enabling them access to landing facilities, failing which the regulator will intervene.

"We asked them (VSNL) today to sort out bottleneck issues or else we may have to intervene," TRAI Chairman Pradip Baijal said after holding a meeting with VSNL officials to resolve the contentious landing facility issue being raised by ILD operators.

Asked if Reliance had approached the regulator for removal of bottleneck problems to enable it cut international bandwidth prices by 70 per cent, Baijal said, "The issue is not Reliance... It is a matter between VSNL and ILD operators."

Baijal said that ILD operators have been approaching TRAI for the last few months for opening up access to bottleneck facilities.

Earlier last week, Manoj Modi, Executive Director of Reliance Infocomm, had said that they could reduce the prices of international bandwidth by upto 70 per cent provided the access to bottleneck facilities (for release of bandwidth) were opened up for fair competition.