- That 30-second Covid message is taking hours of our timeConsumer groups say those pre-call covid messages are hugely problematic. They say the message being played across networks is estimated to be causing wastage of around 1.3 crore man-hours a day, and invariably holds up or delays distress calls from going through during emergencies.
- Jio tells TRAI it's losing users due to 'rumors' spread by Airtel, Vi that it will gain from Farm BillsRetailers in Faridabad , Bahadurgarh, Chandigarh, Firozpur and other parts of NCR and Punjab have seen an increase in customers porting out of Reliance Jio and joining either Vodafone Idea or Bharti Airtel.
- Airtel, Vodafone Idea give all information on segmented offersOn December 4, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had directed all telcos to submit details of all segmented offers made between January and November 2020, including offer name, tariff rates, terms and conditions, validity spans and benefits within 15 days.
- Jio's move to make off-net local calls free to have negligible Ebitda impact: AnalystsJio said it would stop levying interconnect usage charges (IUC) for all domestic voice calls with the scrapping of such fees from January 1, in line with the telecom regulator’s directions.
- Broadband definition needs to be reviewed, should be upgraded to 2 Mbps speed: BIF to TraiThe Broadband India Forum (BIF) has said communications technology has transformed radically over the past years and entirely new markets for data services have emerged across the nation. Numerous modern internet applications and use cases now require higher speeds than prescribed by the current definition
- Neutrality must for platforms, app stores and devices, says outgoing Trai chiefTrai chairman termed net neutrality as a "new frontier" that merits attention and emphasised that 'neutrality' is important to ensure that devices, operating systems, and digital platforms don't emerge as "new gatekeepers" or exercise arbitrary controls.
- Public WiFi may not be viable way to boost broadband penetration: AnalystsThe public WiFi model, they said, had also lost much of its utility for telcos in tackling network congestion as the latter now have adequate spectrum to address the problem directly, with the situation likely improve with another airwaves sale likely in early-2021.
- Cabinet likely to consider spectrum auction proposalThe Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is proposing to sell airwaves in sub-1 GHz bands of 700, 800 and 900 MHz, and in the over-1 GHz bands of 1,800, 2,100, 2,300 and 2,500 MHz. Auction of 5G spectrum in 3,300-3,600 MHz may follow later in 2021 or even in early 2022.
- Trai refrains from intervening in international mobile tariffsAccording to the Telecom Consumer Protection (11th amendment) Regulations 2020, issued Wednesday, the authority said, “considering the fact that the tariffs for IMR Service have been evolving in response to market dynamics and increasing prevalence of IMR Packs, as of now there is no need for any direct intervention in the form of price regulation of IMR Service.”
- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India directs broadcasters to comply with new tariff orderTrai has sought details of all the channels and bouquets from the broadcasters by August 10th. These include name, nature, language, MRP of channels and bouquets per month. The regulator has also asked the broadcasters to amend their reference interconnect offer (RIO) in compliance with the provisions of NTO 2.0 and publish on their respective websites.
- Callers may have to prefix '0' for making calls from landlines to mobile phones from Jan 1"Following may be implemented...Fixed-to-mobile calls shall be dialled with prefix '0'. Suitable announcement may be fed in the fixed line switches to apprise the fixed line subscribers about the requirement of dialling the prefix '0' for all fixed-to-mobile calls," DoT said in a circular dated November 20.
- Defence, space departments may vacate spectrum for commercial 5G servicesThe 3,300-3,400 MHz band is with the defence ministry while a block of 25 units, or 3,400-3,425 MHz, is presently used by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
- Trai Chairman RS Sharma backs infrastructure status for broadcastersAs an immediate measure, the government should also consider allowing the sharing of infrastructure in the television broadcasting sector, Sharma told ET. “Grant of infrastructure status will enable industry players including broadcasters, cable providers, and multi-system operators to raise capital.
- Telecom has bright future, have full faith in professionalism of telcos: Outgoing TRAI chief R S Sharma"Unlike some other sectors, the telecom sector has not suffered from lack of demand. It is shining and has an extremely good future. Everyone is managing it well, and it has a bright future ahead," said Sharma, whose tenure at the helm of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is slated to end on September 30.
- Telemarketer slams Trai on faulty implementation of system to check pesky SMSes/callsTelemarketing company Venets Media in the ongoing lawsuit with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has alleged that the authority in the garb of demonstrating ‘progress’ towards growing numbers of registered entities and headers has caused much damage to the entire process.
- Trai backs forming cloud service providers for light touch regulation“The first industry body may be set up by DoT as a non-profit body under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in a three-step process,” the telecom regulatory authority of India (trai) said in its recommendations to the department of telecommunication (DoT) issued Monday.
- Raising broadband quality, speed requires holistic approach: Trai official Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Secretary S K Gupta said there may be a certain perception that operators are not providing good-quality broadband, but singularly blaming telecom service providers may not be a correct approach, and instead the issue calls for a "group effort".
- Trai drops probe against Voda Idea on priority plan issue after telco tweaks offerLast month, the regulator had slapped a show-cause notice on VIL over its priority mobile plan, saying the tariff offer lacked transparency and was "misleading" and not in compliance with regulatory framework.
- '5G holds huge promise for India; collaboration, identifying suitable use cases key'The explosion of disruptive technologies has transformed the way people interact, socialise and businesses operate, SK Gupta, Secretary, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said .
- Jio adds nearly 4.5 million subscribers in June; Airtel, Vi suffer customer losses: TraiBharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi), however, lost 1.12 million and 4.82 million customers respectively in June, in the aftermath of the December 2019 hikes and post-lockdown pangs as many feature phone users with prepaid connections gave up mobile connections as they were unable to recharge.
- TRAI's R S Sharma calls for speedy liberalisation of satcom policyThe telecom regulator has called for fast-track liberalisation of India’s satellite communications policy to pave the way for affordable fast satellite broadband services, and, in turn, boost internet penetration in the country's remote and far-flung corners where mobile and terrestrial networks have had a negligible impact on this score.
- BIF bats for unbundling various layers in telecom with safeguards to protect competitionTRAI had, in August this year, floated a final discussion paper on enabling unbundling of specific layers of telecom like infrastructure, network, services, through differential licensing. TRAI sought industry's views on whether network services layer and service delivery layer need to be separated, by introducing specific licence for network element alone.
- Trai seeks stakeholder comments on changes needed to ensure fair billing for consumersAccording to code of practice for metering and billing accuracy regulations, 2006, telecom companies are required to submit third-party audit reports which examine call data records by sampling on quarterly basis.
- Trai works to rejig licensing regime to promote investments and innovation“Currently, we are working on reforming the licensing and regulatory regime to catalyse investments and innovation and promote ease of doing business. For this, the consultation paper will be released shortly,” Ram Sewak Sharma, chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), told ET.
- Airtel, Vodafone Idea file segmented offer details to telecom regulator TraiOn December 4, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had directed all telcos to submit details of all segmented offers made between January and November 2020, including offer name, tariff rates, terms and conditions, validity spans and benefits within 15 days.
- Trai chairman says states making telcos pay for laying infrastructure is "perverse"Sharma also stressed upon the need to accelerate the deployment of Wifi hotspots under the Wifi Access Network Interface (WANI) framework designed by Trai.
- TRAI recommends SUC be levied on only shared bands, not entire spectrum holdingThe telecom regulator has recommended that the incremental spectrum usage charge (SUC) of 0.5% levied on operators when they share airwaves, must apply only on the shared bands instead of the entire spectrum holding of the licensee.
- Fibre broadband underserved market, renewed efforts to help firms gain wallet share: ReportIndia's wireline broadband market is seeing a pickup with one million new connections in year to date - more than FY17-20 combined - crossing the 20 million mark.
- Vodafone Idea issued show cause notice by Trai for RedX premium tariff planTRAI on Tuesday evening issued a show cause notice to Vodafone Idea, asking why it shouldn’t ban the company’s RedX premium tariff plan that the regulator said appeared to be making false claims about offering faster data speeds.
- TRAI mulls show cause notice against Vodafone Idea on priority plan issue: SourceA regulatory source said that Vodafone Idea has not been able to satisfactorily respond to many of the issues raised by TRAI, including two major concerns on how the company will ensure priority services and speeds to select customers who opt for the premium offering, and how the priority plan will not adversely impact services and experience of non-premium users.
- Telcos need to pay Rs 50K crore for renewing spectrum permits, but only Jio will renew: AnalystsBharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are unlikely to renew most of their airwaves, given their surplus holdings. The upcoming auction between three telcos is expected to be tepid as analysts say it is a buyer's market and Jio is expected to be the largest contender.
- Trai sends further queries to Voda idea, Airtel on premium plansAnother source said that Bharti Airtel has been asked over two dozen questions, including if limits for data speeds have been set for platinum and non-platinum users, and about the levels of throughput for platinum users.
- New tariff plan is not a new service: Vodafone Idea Ltd counters Trai on priority offeringVIL has countered Trai's contention that the RedX plan, which commits higher speeds, should have been informed separately so different aspects could have been examined before such service was launched. "It is not a new service and the service remains same... A new tariff plan is not a new service," VIL said
- TRAI to give decision on priority plans within 2 weeks of telcos reply: SourcesTRAI will finalise its decision on priority plan issue within two weeks of getting response from the telcos, the extended time for which is Monday (August 10), the source said.
- Made effort to keep spectrum prices reasonable, says Trai“I am aware of the concern of the TSPs (telecom service providers) who feel that adequate spectrum must be allocated to the TSPs and the spectrum price must be reasonable,” SK Gupta, secretary, Trai, said in a keynote address at the 4th edition of the India Mobile Congress.
- US's Pai, Trai's Vaghela back light touch regulation of telecom industryTelecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman PD Vaghela added that since 5G adoption was expected to introduce new business models, regulation needed to be light touch in nature.
- Digital infrastructure needs large infusion from India's telcos: Trai chief RS Sharma"The biggest challenge before the industry in the next five years would be to meet growing demand of data communications and support billions of machines or things to communicate… it would require huge investments in the digital communication infrastructure," said Sharma, chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
- Airtel outpaces Jio on user adds for 3rd straight month - Trai data for OctAirtel added net 3.7 million wireless subscribers growing 1.12% month-on-month as against Jio’s addition of 2.2 million, up 0.55% in October, while Vi lost 2.7 million, down 0.9% from previous month.
- Trai gives Airtel, Vodafone Idea time till August 10 on priority plan queriesThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India source said that both the companies have been given time till August 10 to file their responses. The regulator had sent nearly two dozen questions to Airtel and Vodafone Idea over the contentious premium plans on Friday evening (July 31), and had asked them to explain their stand on August 4, backed by data and presentations.
- Jio had 87 million inactive users of 397 million base in June: Kotak“Who are these 87 million Jio subscribers who are recharging their SIMs regularly, but are not connected to Jio’s network,” said Kotak Institutional Equities in a note, analysing June subscriber data put out by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and recent investor disclosures by the telco.
- Telcos warn users to be wary of ISD charges for online meeting appsAlerts went out via SMS to customers after Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) ordered that operators warn their subscribers that ISD rates will be charged for the international numbers in dial-in features of these apps. Both Trai and telcos have received complaints of bill shock during the last few months where India Inc logged went on work from home mode.
- Broadband is bridging the digital access divide between large enterprises and SMEsAs a result of India’s growing broadband infrastructure, an ecosystem to usher India’s large MSME sector into the digital economy has also developed.
- Charge incremental SUC only on shared airwaves: Telcos to TraiCarriers also urged the authorities to look at the necessity of the SUC charge itself, given that airwaves are bought in auctions, by paying market prices.
- Reliance Jio tops Trai's 4G chart with 16.5 mbps download speed in JuneIdea followed Jio in download speed chart with 8 mbps speed, the latest data published on Trai's Myspeed portal showed. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recorded average download speed of 7.5 mbps and 7.2 mbps on 4G network of Vodafone and Bharti Airtel, respectively, in June.
- Jio fastest network in 4G download speed; Vodafone in upload in Nov: Trai dataVodafone topped the chart in the upload segment with network speed of 6.5 Mbps. It was followed by Idea with upload speed of 5.8 Mbps, Airtel 4 Mbps and Jio 3.7 Mbps.
- Telecom industry's active subscriber tally up by 2.5 million in October: ReportBharti Airtel saw the highest subscriber addition in its traditionally weak circles of Maharashtra (0.7 million) and Gujarat (0.5 million).
- TRAI advocates domestic manufacturing of telecom equipment, bats for digital sovereigntyTelecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman R S Sharma said government policies relating to electronics and local handset manufacturing have "paid rich dividends", and added that more needs to be done, particularly to push domestic manufacturing of telecom equipment and ensure value addition.
- Airtel rejects Trai concerns around Platinum plan, says service to 1-1.5% of its user base doesn’t hurt restThe telco said its Platinum offer had been tested through pilots for eight months before being launched. The tests, it said, had revealed that with capacity expansion and other initiatives, Platinum customers assigned priority got faster speeds without impacting the experience of other Airtel customers.
- Trai slaps ₹35 crore penalty on telcos for fake text messagesThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s penalties are on various counts of violation of the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation, documents accessed by ET showed.
- Imposed financial disincentives on telcos for not stopping unsolicited commercial communications: TRAI to HCIt has further said that financial disincentives to the tune of Rs 1.33 crore, Rs 1.82 crore, Rs 1.41 crore and Rs 14.99 lakh were imposed on Airtel, Vodafone, Quadrant Televentures and Reliance Jio, respectively.
- AGR verdict brings certainty; DoT should now focus on ease of biz, industry profitability: BIFBroadband India Forum has also urged the Department of Telecom (DoT) to take quick decisions on a spate of recommendations which have already been forwarded by the sector regulator including major ones like public Wi-Fi networks for broadband proliferation.
- Airtel tops Jio in August user additions: TraiReliance Jio became the first mobile phone operator to cross 400 million subscribers in India in July and added 1.86 million users in August. But its inactive user base of 85.04 million continued to be higher than its rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi).
- US regulator, Trai chief Vaghela back light touch regulation for telecom sectorReiterating the US view on risks posed by Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei, Pai highlighted that the world needed to collaborate for industry-led innovation in 5G in areas such as Open RAN to facilitate secure networks and reduce dependency on traditional telecom network equipment providers.
- Cabinet likely to consider DoT's spectrum auction proposal at Wednesday meetingThe Cabinet is expected to consider the telecom department’s proposal on the next spectrum auctions at its meeting on Wednesday, which would include a sale of only 4G airwaves and is likely to be held in March, officials familiar with the matter said.
- Trai asks telcos to file all segmented offers made during Jan-Nov in 15 daysThe sector’s directive comes after the Supreme Court last month upheld Trai’s appeal against an almost two-year-old telecom tribunal order that had set aside a regulation requiring telcos to report all tariffs in the interests of transparency and non-discrimination.
- Airtel outpaces Jio on active users in September, Vodafone Idea loses more ground“Airtel captured the lion’s share of Vi’s subscriber losses, indicating that subscriber churn is taking place,” the brokerage said in a note to clients.
- Airtel adds 3.8 million users in September, double of Jio: Trai dataTotal broadband subscriber base grew 1.41% month-on-month reaching 726.3 million. Broadband market share of three top operators was Jio 55.9%, Airtel 22.9% and Vi 16.5%.
- Airtel, Vi trash Jio's allegations about unfairly rival's users to port out“We have just been made aware through media about an outrageous complaint made to the TRAI by Reliance Jio against Airtel…this complaint relates to market activities in Punjab/ Haryana LSA (licence service area) that are purportedly encouraging customers to port to Airtel…we wish to emphatically deny this baseless charge,” Bharti Airtel said in a reply to the telecom regulator on Monday.
- TRAI proposes 11-digit mobile numbers to meet future needsThe telecom regulator on Friday suggested using 11-digit numbers for mobile phones, instead of 10 digits, to ensure adequate numbering resources for user base growth in the future, but advised against migration to a unified numbering system for mobiles and landlines.
- Trai says floor pricing talks only after lockdown ends“It may be a better option that any further discussion on the issue (floor tariff) is held after the lockdown is completely lifted and normalcy is restored,” Sharma told ET, virtually ruling out an online open house discussion on the issue, and thus, an early decision on the contentious issue.
- Trai to seek all details of segmented offers from Airtel, Voda IdeaLast Friday, the nation’s top court upheld Trai’s appeal against an almost two-year-old telecom tribunal order that had junked a regulation requiring telcos to report all tariffs in the interests of transparency and non-discrimination.
- Supreme Court asks telcos to disclose details of special tariffs to TRAI"In the light of the...historical background, what is now sought by TRAI to ensure adherence to the regulatory principles of transparency, non--discrimination and non--predation, cannot be said, at least prima facie to be either illegal or wholly unjustified.
- Vodafone Idea cedes more ground to rivals, RMS dips to 22.6% in July-Sep: Trai dataThe decline in loss-making Vi’s RMS was “led by a dip” in subscribers -- as many as 8 million customer losses in the September quarter, said Axis Capital. Subscriber fall continues to be a problem area for the loss-making telco, which lags its two rivals on 4G coverage.
- Trai issues spectrum sharing paperThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has sought public consultation on whether the incremental spectrum usage charge (SUC), in case of spectrum sharing, must be applicable only to shared bands.
- Centre forms committee to review guidelines on television ratingsThe panel has been asked to make recommendations for "a robust, transparent and accountable rating system" through changes, if any, in the existing guidelines.
- Trai says not recommended 11 digit mobile numbering plan, 10-digit numbers to continueAs per Trai recommendation, the country will continue to follow a 10-digit numbering for mobile services, and the regulator has "categorically rejected" shifting to an 11-digit mobile numbering plan.
- Broadband India Forum urges Trai to relook at spectrum pricing, allocation norms“We are motivated by the patient hearing of our submissions by the Trai chief and believe that the officials will take policy decisions in the best interest of all stakeholders,” TV Ramachandran, president, BIF, told ET. He added that BIF will seek another meeting with the authority next week for other agendas on its list.
- Telcos urge Trai to speed up setting of data tariff floorAt a meeting last week with PD Vaghela, the new chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), telcos also called on him to urge the government to auction valuable E & V airwaves, considered ideal for 5G services.
- Trai pulls up telcos for selective validity extensionTrai said “Airtel and VIL had followed a selective approach” in giving relaxation to subscribers in extending the validity and giving a credit of Rs 10 to each subscriber, and as a result “all the 2G subscribers were not covered and are facing hardships” in absence of any recharge facilities.
- Airtel narrows incremental RMS gap with Jio: AnalystsThe gap between Airtel and Jio on incremental RMS has more than halved in the September quarter, said sector experts, analysing latest telco financial numbers put out by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
- Trai extends deadline by 30 days for tariff disclosure compliancesAccording to the regulation on tariff publication released by Telecom regulatory authority of India (Trai) last month telecom companies were supposed to produce a compliance report within 15 days.
- Telecom providers must quantify data speed they are promising for premium customers: Trai‘How can you improve somebody’s service without degrading the services of others?’
- TRAI issues recommendations on reserve price for auction of FM radio channelsTRAI finalised its recommendations after considering all comments received from stakeholders during the consultation process and further analysis of the issues. TRAI recommended that the valuation of FM radio channels in 273 new cities has been worked out as a simple mean of the three valuation approaches.
- PD Vaghela takes charge as TRAI chairmanVaghela takes the reins of the regulatory body at a time the sector has been reduced to three private mobile phone operators from 10 before September 2016 and is just emerging from the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) which had threatened to reduce the sector to a duopoly.
- SC upholds Trai's appeal, asks Airtel, Vi to share details of all segmented offers with regulatorThe Supreme Court on Friday ordered Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) to disclose to the telecom regulator all segmented or 'specific offers' made to their subscribers, delivering a jolt to the two companies that say submission of such details could end up violating commercial confidentiality and help rivals poach their customers.
- No need for fresh directive on prepaid validity, benefits as telcos have complied, feels TraiGiven that companies have complied with Trai's call and announced measures for low-income users to stay connected amid the lockdown, the regulator felt there is no need to come out with specific new instructions for now. The authority will be keeping a close watch to see how the situation evolves, Trai sources told .
- Govt appoints PD Vaghela as new Trai chief“The new Trai chairman will have to see through the digital transformation of the telecom sector and make it healthy… he should facilitate the flow of investments and also look into the optimal pricing and quantum of 5G spectrum,” TV Ramachandran, president of the Broadband India Forum, told ET.
- Jio wants periodic spectrum auctions, SpaceX pushes for satellite use to promote broadbandThe Mukesh Ambani-led firm had in September too written to Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash questioning the Department of Telecom's rationale to pause the policy of annual spectrum auctions and said the sale of airwaves should be held at the earliest to meet the demand for data services.
- CCI urges govt to ensure adequate 5G airwaves at affordable rates for a competitive landscapeCreating a competitive 5G market, it said, is crucial for the ultra-fast wireless broadband technology to work in India, which would require assignment of ample 5G airwaves at a reasonable cost to ensure the capital market stays interested in funding such network upgradation.
- Sector outlook 'constructive' on rising demand, tariff improvement: Bharti InfratelIn its latest annual report 2019-20, Bharti Infratel Chairman Akhil Gupta said the introduction of 5G and other new technologies in coming years and need for better connected nation in a post-COVID era will "intensify" the role of passive infrastructure players like Bharti Infratel.
- TRAI rejects telcos' call for online talks on floor tariffThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has rejected telcos' call to hold open house discussions (OHD) on floor pricing of services through an online mechanism amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Trai raises international call termination charges to 35-65 paise/minute; telcos to benefitWhile the regulator has given a range with floor and a ceiling, and left it to operators to set the rate under a forbearance regime, it has, however, mandated that operators will offer non-discriminatory rate for such termination charges to everyone.
- TRAI launches channel selection app to facilitate easy subscription modificationIn a statement, TRAI said that after issuing the new tariff order for broadcasting services it was noticed that consumers were facing difficulty to opt for TV channels or bouquets of their choice on the web portal or applications of their respective Distributed Platform Operators (DPO).
- Trai moots cut in initial Financial Bank Guarantee, easier norms for captive VSAT CUG licenseTelecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended that the royalty charges should be limited to the assigned frequencies. "There is no justification for charging additional 25 per cent amount...," it said in a statement.
- SC reserves ruling on TRAI plea seeking information from Bharti, Vodafone on segmented offersA three-judge bench led by CJI S.A. Bobde reserved its order on the issue on Tuesday. A copy of the order was published on the court website today. “Arguments concluded. Judgment reserved,” the short order on an application by the TRAI said.
- Consumer rights vs telcos' survival: With a fraught call on floor price at hand, new Trai chief's first battle beginsTelecom floor pricing is among the most contentious issues that Vaghela will need to decide on, having recently taken over as Trai chairman after the five-year tenure of RS Sharma, which was marked by several disputes.
- Telcos provided adequate relief to low-income users despite financial stress: COAI to TraiCellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) said in case Trai and the government still feel the need for extension of benefits to all prepaid feature phone subscribers, then this should be provided in the form of a subsidy to the telecom sector like many other essential services.
- COAI urges TRAI to consider online open house discussion on "pressing" floor price issue"The bulk of responses have already come in through written comments, and additional inputs, if any, can be given via suitable alternates like an online or electronic open house forum, in case TRAI wants. Floor price is a pressing need of the industry," COAI Director General, Rajan Mathews said.
- Spam War: Telecom companies to soon filter out unregistered commercial SMSesET had reported in November that the telecom regulator had imposed penalties collectively amounting to Rs 35 crore on eight operators including Bharti Airtel, Voda-Idea, Jio and BSNL for violation of TCCCPR on various counts, which allowed cyber criminals to issue fake SMSes.
- TRAI grants six weeks additional time to telcos to file monthly, quarterly reports due in AprilThe decision comes within days of industry body COAI writing to TRAI for granting additional time to companies to file such reports, citing massive efforts being undertaken by telecom companies to overcome "numerous operational challenges" in order to keep vital networks up and running amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown.
- Keep customer’s SIM inactive by default abroad: Trai to telcosTrai, however, refrained from intervening in the tariff structure of international mobile roaming (IMR) services, saying operators already follow practices to prevent bill shocks to users travelling abroad.
- Trai mulls scrapping dual pricing of text messagesThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said on Tuesday there’s no longer any need to restrict the number of text messages allowed to be offered at a concessional rate nor regulate the tariff for short message service (SMS) since robust regulations are in place to ward off unwanted calls and text messages.
- Trai to ask government firms to secure OTP-based verification“We are going to write to all government entities and semi-government firms which use mobile number to authenticate one-time password (OTP) for verification, to make use of mobile number revocation list,” the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman Ram Sewak Sharma told ETT.
- Trai rejects DoT call to extend registration, scrutiny formalities to OSPsAn OSP, typically, provides IT-enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) services or others such as tele-banking, tele-medicine, tele-education, e-commerce to call-centre operations.
- Telcos resist differential licensing, unbundling of layers; say move regressiveThe operators Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Airtel, as well as industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) have asserted that such unbundling is neither necessary nor desirable.
- Free voice calls no excuse for poor service quality, says Trai chiefThe comments come amid continuing call drops being experienced by subscribers across the country.
- Regulating OTT players complicated: TraiTrai has realised that it is no longer a financial arbitrage issue between telcos and apps, but one of security and lawful interception. There is also an absence of a global example of similar rules and the regulator needs to factor in clauses in the upcoming data protection law and social intermediary guidelines before making any recommendations.
- Can regulate cloud service companies under Trai Act: RS SharmaThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has claimed complete jurisdiction to regulate cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, even as the industry contended that it is already regulated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- Studying telecom issues, will firm up action plan soon: PD Vaghela, Trai chiefIn his first official comments since taking over on October 1, Vaghela told ET that he was studying all issues at hand, and would firm up his plan of action in the coming weeks. Vaghela was previously the pharmaceutical secretary.
- Instances of call drop down, TRAI imposed financial disincentive of Rs 3.29 crore on service providers: GovtReplying to supplementary queries during Question Hour, Minister of State for Telecom Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre said there has been a lot of improvement in call drops in the last three-four years and TRAI has introduced parameters for disincentive to telecom companies and a fine of over Rs 2.5 crore has been recovered from them.
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