The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has issued a consultation paper today to review the interconnect usage charges (IUC).
The regulator has deferred the IUC regime by three months after it came under severe criticism from the telecom industry with almost all the operators associations filing a case in the telecom tribunal against the order.
The Trai paper says it is taking a re-look into the calling party pays (CPP) regime, under which cellular users get free incoming calls and the question of how many tariff packages can be permitted per operator.
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It is also bringing out a detailed guidline on tariff announcement by operators and it is also reviewing its decision to give tariff forbearance for WLL (M) and Cellular services. The CPP regime has been objected to by fixed line operators as fixed to cell call charges have gone up by 200 per cent as a result.
Explaining the reason behind the review the Trai paper says that it was done "in view of the several representations received from telecom service providers and other stakeholders with respect to both the IUC and tariff regime."
Trai is also looking at distributing the burden of Access Deficit Charges (ADC) between fixed, cellular and long distance operators. Until the ADC was borne only by the fixed line operator for giving below cost services to meet social obligations.
The consultation paper says Trai has also noted the comments by operators that the market situation was likely to change substantially both because of the introduction of the CPP regime as well as the introduction of IUC consistent tariffs and the system of origination, carriage and termination charges encompassed in the framework of the IUC regime.
"The impact of these developments would also have to be examined in the context of the consultation process. This process will also need to consider the sustainability of any IUC regime in providing the necessary revenues to recover the access deficit, " the regulator said.
The agenda